Night
by Light Penguin
Summary: Naruto and Hinata have never really been close, but when fate *ahemTsunadeahem* pushes them together on a mission to uncover the secrets of Orochimaru's spies, will Naruto, Hinata  and their new comrade, Sorami, succeed? Or does failure await? NaruHina
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfic on this account, and it's really only my second fanfiction ever. Please, any comments, suggestions, or critiques are welcome, but be kind and don't flame!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this fanfiction other than Sorami. I don't own nor do I claim to own any part of the Naruto world…wish I did, though. All rights go to the respectful owners.

Enjoy!

**Night**

~Chapter I~

Naruto and Hinata were never really close. Sure, Naruto considered her a friend and he admired her fierce determination as well as acknowledged her strength as a ninja. But when this mission was assigned he nearly passed out from embarrassment. Hinata certainly did.

"No, Grandma, I refuse to do that! I'm not a pervert like Jiraiya-sensei" Naruto yelled.

Tsunade sighed. She knew he would take it this way. To make matters worse, the Hyuuga had fainted and Tsunade suddenly realized the reason why: the girl had a crush on Naruto. This was not what Tsunade had expectd and she was regretting her decision to use these particular ninja. The risks were already high that they would be uncovered, and the girl's feelings could easily ensure the failure of this mission.

However, Tsunade was faced with the reality of the situation that she found herself in. The Akatsuki were making their next move, and the Anbu were currently out searching for Orochimaru's hideout. While there still remained many Anbu and a substantially large number of Jonin and Chunin within the village, Tsunade had few ninja to spare; many of the stronger Jonin and Chunin needed to remain in the village in the case that it were attacked, and the Anbu were needed for the most difficult missions. Tsunade certainly couldn't leave to accomplish this mission, and in all honesty, the two in front of her were perfect candidates for this mission. It required infiltration into a dangerous village, a village filled with bloodthirsty ninja and rogues who were terrifying the villagers. However, though she wished she could order these two to rid the village of this problem, that was not the reason they were being sent in. Rumor had it that Orochimaru had various spies and informants among the rogue ninja-and their mission was to discover not only the identities of the spies but to also have these spies divulge all the information they knew.

Of corse this wouldn't be easy. Two leaf-nin couldn't exactly waltz into this village and expect a warm welcome. Nor could they retrieve the information through brute force, torture, or interrogation-they had already tried the latter and the rogue ninja burst into flames when they had opted to reveal what they knew. Ibiki had nearly been killed and Tsunade was not about to let a repeat of this event occur. No, what was required in this situation was an inconspicuous group of ninja infiltrating the village and gaining the trust of one of Orochimaru's operatives. That was where Naruto came in.

Tsunade knew that Naruto's uncanny ability to turn enemies into friends would be vital to the success of the mission, and she didn't doubt that he would have them spilling their guts to him in an instant. The problem with Naruto was that he would probably try to rush things and end up ruining the mission. She needed someone who could calm him down and also search for information by remaining in the shadows-and still not arouse suspicion. The Hyuuga girl was perfect for this because she knew the teaditions of clans and the etiquette that Naruto lacked knowledge of. If they became involved in any political affairs while on their mission- clans fighting eachother for power and merchants scrabbling for money- Hinata would be able to guide Naruto through them and smoothe things over without jeopardizing their mission. Hinata was also very shy. While most viewed shyness as a fault, Tsunade saw Hinata's reservedness as a strength. Because she was so reserved, she could listen to conversations without saying a word, and whoever was having the conversation would hardly take notice, or would dismiss her. Shy people were generally underestimated, and while it could be a sign of low self-esteem, Tsunade knew that shy people could very well be the downfall of an opponent. If an opponent dismissed one as being weak because one were shy, it could very well be the last thing that opponent did. And of course, the girl had the Byakugan. Hinata was just a natural for this type of spy work, though Tsunade doubted the girl knew it.

Two people arriving simultaneously would arouse suspicion, but it was a risk Tsunade was willing to take. Tsunade didn't want her ninjas to travel there separately because she feared the thugs would attack anyone entering the village alone, and while she knew the pair of ninja in front of her could easily defeat thugs, it would arouse suspicion about the ninja and the mission would basically be neutralized. Anymore than three ninja would certainly gather the attention of the rogues and would leave konoha in the dark as to any plans Orochimaru might have. The success of this mission rested solely on three ninja, and from the looks of things, the two that were in front of her might not make it.

Tsunade sighed in frustration. "Naruto," she growled, her voice stern. "You do not have a choice in this matter. You and Hinata are both skilled ninja, you work well together, and you actually do look convincing as lovers."

Naruto sputtered, his face now a deep shade of red. "But Granny, I'm not gonna pretend to be MARRIED to Hinata-chan or anything like that! I mean, how does that even help this mission? Couldn't we just pretend we're really close friends?"

Despite the seriousness of the mission, Tsunade found that a smile had formed on her lips. Naruto swallowed; whenever Tsunade got that mean-looking smile on her face, Naruto knew she was about to do something that he wasn't gonna like.

"Naruto, do you want to bring Sasuke back?"she asked him, though it was a rhetorical question.

"I-I-what kinda question is that? Of COURSE I want to save Sasuke!"Naruto yelled, knowing where this was going.

"Then you will accomplish this mission, in order to achieve that goal. You'll be gathering vital information that will almost certainly help with your retrieval of Sasuke. And you will do this mission." It wasn't a question. Tsunade had backed him into a corner, and he knew it.

"But-but..."Naruto floundered around as he struggled to come up with an excuse not to pose as Hinata's lover. It wasn't right. He liked Hinata, sure, but he definitely wasn't her lover; playing the part of one might mean kissing her, and while Naruto entertained the idea for awhile, he discarded it quickly. Hinata already fainted around him frequently, and while he figured she was prone to fevers and sickness, he didn't want to make her feel as though he was her lover. He hadn't really had his first kiss yet-and Sasuke definitely didn't count. While Hinata was pretty and all, he was sort of nervous about his first kiss. And he was worried about Hinata's as well. Besides, it felt like he was taking advantage of her, and as he had already told Tsunade, he was not a pervert.

"No buts, Naruto," Tsunade told him, her grin growing as the Hyuuga girl stirred beside Naruto. "You had better not make her pass out again,"she told him.

"I'm not the one who made her faint- that was YOU." Naruto glared at her, before crouching next to Hinata and asking her if she was alright.

Tsunade frowned as she realized that not only did Hinata have a major crush on the boy, but also that Naruto was completely oblivious to her feelings towards him. Great, she thought. Another complication.

For Hinata, the shock of being told that she was going on an A-class mission was rather great. The shock of discovering that if would be a six-month long mission was even larger. Finding out that she would be spending those six months with Naruto was astounding, and she wasn't sure whether to run or weep for joy. But, what finally did it for Hinata was the Hokage telling her that she and Naruto were going to be posing as lovers. It sent Hinata's thoughts spiraling, and it was too much for the poor girl-she fainted five seconds after Tsunade told her.

So when she woke up to Naruto asking her in a concerned voice if she as all right, it was all Hinata could do to refrain from fainting again. She was a mess, and she knew it. She tried to calm herself down, taking long deep breaths as Naruto's blue eyes gazed down at her in worry. When she finally thought she had regained enough composure to speak, she mumbled a quick apology and rose shakily to her feet, Naruto's concerned face watching every movement she made.

Hinata sat down in her chair once more. Taking a shuddering breath, she asked the Hokage politely to please explain the mission to her.

After Tsunade had told them once more that they would be infiltrating a village of rogue ninja posed as lovers, Hinata was glad she didn't faint again, though she certainly FELT like fainting.

"Since you need to be inconspicuous, you will be taking on the roles of rogue ninja from Sunagakure. Your reason for abandoning Suna is that you don't like your new Kazekage, and under his rule your relationship has suffered because you opposed his views. You decided to leave and make a new life elsewhere, where your love will not be so constrained by a jinchurikis rule. Your aunt has offered you a temporary home, and though you don't necessarily love her, she has offered you shelter and at this point you really have no place else to stay."

Naruto wasn't liking what he wa hearing. He disagreed with everything he was supposed to portray. He thought Gaara was an excellent Kazekage, and agreed with practically everything Gaara had done for his village. However, Naruto understood that this type of story would sound perfectly justifiable to the rogue ninja they were to extract information from, and it might even endear some of them to become closer to them. After three years of training with Jiraiya-Sensei, Naruto had learned to hold his tongue on certain matters if he knew the benefits.

One point however, bothered hinata. " Hokage-sama, is it just going to be Naruto and me who perform this mission?"she asked.

Tsunade beamed at her, glad the young kunoichi had noticed what Naruto hadn't.

"To answer your question, Hinata: no, it will not be solely you and Naruto who participate in this mission. There will be one other person joining your team when you arrive at the village. This ninja has already infiltrated the village, and she will be posing as your aunt," she said, the last bit directed towards Naruto.

"How will we know who she is?" Naruto asked.

"You won't," Tsunade replied smiling. "But,"she continued hurriedly as Naruto opened his mouth to reply. "She'll know YOU. She'll show you proof of who she is by showing you a scroll detailing who she believes to be in contact with Orochimaru."

Naruto wasn't thrilled. They'd be alone entering the village, he and Hinata, and they would have to trust that this aunt figure would recognize them. Until she did, they'd be wandering around the village without being able to trust anyone except eachother.

"Wxcuse me," Hinata's soft voice was barely audible, but Tsunade and Naruto turned to her.

"Yes, Hinata?" Tsunade prodded.

" W-well, with N-Naruto being a target of t-the A-Akatsuki, wouldn't these r-rogue ninja k-k-know how he looked?" Hinata asked softly.

Tsunade beamed again. Boy, this girl didn't miss much, did she? Even with her crush on the boy, Tsunade was starting to think that Hinata was more than capable of completing this mission.

"Very good, Hinata," Tsunade told her. "Yes, they would probably know what Naruto looked like, and those eyes of yours are rather famous. A normal henge can be seen through by a skilled ninja, and we wouldn't want your cover blown because of that. So, you won't be using henge to disguise yourselves," Tsunade explained.

Naruto frowned. "Then how are we gonna fool them?" he asked pointedly.

Tsunades reply was to stand up and call for Shizune to escort them away. She grinned slyly at the pair.

"Make-over time."

And then a wide-eyed Hinata was lead out of the room behind a gaping Naruto.

Sorami gazed out of her window. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that Tsunade was going to send her something. Sure enough, mere seconds later, a small slug wiggled itself up her window, pausing in its movements to make sure she had noticed it. Sorami opened the window slowly and silently. With calculated preciseness, she gently scooped the slug into her hands and closed the window as silently as she had opened it. She deposited the slug on her desk before crossing the room to her door, checking that it was securely locked. Activating her kekkeigenkai, she looked around her and made sure no jutsu's save for her own were around her room. Only her wards were present, and there were no ninja or villagers around. Deactivating her eyes, she nodded towards the slug.

The slug, in reply, proceeded to vomit on her desk. Sorami still found it comical that Tsunade's slugs carried scrolls in their stomachs to relay messages, but the only way they could deliver them was by throwing them up. In order to convey how comical it appeared to her, she burst out laughing.

Katsuyu frowned at Sorami. She didn't like being laughed at, but it was of the utmost importance that this message be delivered as soon as possible. It was so important that Katsuyu had been held in a bird's mouth for two hours on the way here, before the bird dropped her unceremoniously atop Sorami's house with an unflattering 'Plop'. Katsuyu wasn't thrilled to be delivering another message to Sorami. The journey was a hassle, but what really irked her was that Sorami always laughed at her when she removed the scroll from her belly. It wasn't all that funny, especially considering the information that this particular scroll contained.

Nonetheless, Katsuyu waited patiently for Sorami to quit laughing; Katsuyu figured that since Sorami had moved into the village seven months ago, she hadn't had many opportunities to laugh, or even smile. Her mission was pretty dangerous, after all, and probably didn't offer much time for the young woman to be happy. It was a very high-stress mission. The scroll she had brought was Tsunade's attempt to alleviate some of that pressure off of Sorami. That wasn't the entire reason behind Tsunade's decision to send help, but it was a contributing factor.

Sorami finally wiped some tears from her eyes as she reached for the scroll, still giggling slightly as she opened it. Her giggles stopped suddenly and her brow furrowed as she read the scroll. Her previously smiling mouth formed a slight frown as she finished reading the scroll.

"No," she said simply before walking back to her bed and beginning to undo her shoelaces.

Katsuyu stared at her. "No to what?" she asked the young woman.

"No to it all. As much as I respect that the demon-boy has great potential, and as much as I respect the strength of the Hyuuga clan, I'm perfectly capable of finishing this mission WITHOUT their help," she told Katsuyu as she threw her boot to the floor and began untying the shoelaces on her other boot.

Katsuyu sighed. The girl hadn't been that great at teamwork ever since her Genin teammates died seven years ago. Before that, Katsuyu was told that the girl had been great at teamwork, but the deaths of her two closest friends had obviously had a negative effect on her. However, Tsunade's decision had been final, and Katsuyu needed to make sure Sorami knew of that finality.

"It doesn't matter what you think or what you want," Katsuyu told her. "Tsunade has made her decision that you will cooperate with these two and that you will work as a team. All the details are in that scroll-you know what Tsunade has ordered for this mission."

Sorami glared at the floor, tossing her boot at it pretty hard. She couldn't deny that the two ninja the Hokage was sending were promising young kids, but one of them was a Genin, for heavens sake. She didn't care what they had already accomplished-the fact that she had been paired with a Genin and a Chunin was really irritating her. There was more to it than that, a deeper reason for her hesitation to accept them as her comrades, but she didn't want to think about it. Her old teammates were gone, and there was nothing she could do for them. The best she could do was make sure that these two didn't end up like her old friends.

Katsuyu watched solemnly as she saw emotions play across the girl's face. It was obviously hard on the young woman to accept the responsibility of overseeing two ninja and consider them comrades. The fact that she was the senior ninja in this operation placed the burden of responsibility for the two younger ninja upon her shoulder., and Sorami didn't think she was ready. Unfortunately for her, Tsunade believed that she was more than ready to hold this responsibility, and had made it clear in her orders to Sorami that Sorami would need to work alongside the two ninja in order to succeed.

Sorami flopped down on her bed, arms behind her head, and stared at the ceiling. Several minutes later, she sat up and looked at Kaysuyu. "Tell that woman that I'm not happy. I'm not happy with this situation at ALL," she told Katsuyu. "But tell her I'll be there Saturday night at these village gates to pick 'em up. There's no way I'm goin' all the way to Konoha to bring their sorry hides here. It's way too far. "

Katzuyu smiled. The girl was just angry that Tsunade had forced her into this, but she was willing to accept them as her comrades. Katsuyu began to dispel, but Sorami's last words echoed throughout the room.

"Tell her... Tell her I'll do my best."

Katsuyu nodded, then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sorami stared at where the slug had been, then got up and unlocked her door, heading for the kitchen. She needed a towel to clean up that stupid slug's barf, after all.

~End Chapter I~

**Author Comments:** Well, there it is! My first fanfiction on this account, and my second fanfiction! I hope that you all enjoyed it! I'm using this story as a way to improve my writing skills, so I'm trying new things in this story.

I don't have a beta, so one would be much appreciated. I started writing this around Christmas break, and I've had it finished for awhile and meant to put it up, but I didn't get around to editing it till last night. In case you've never read the fanfiction 'Two Halves' by DameWren, my work is greatly inspired by her, and I named Sorami in honor of one of her characters, Sora. They have somewhat similar personalities, and they both have kekkeigenkais, and Hinata and Naruto are paired as a team, but the similarities end there. DameWren inspired me, but I want my work to be my own, so I will draw no more similarities intentionally. I hope that my writing style isn't too boring—I'm not quite sure how or when to separate paragraphs, so I just separate them when I feel there is a need to. Sorry if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes, because I only edited once! The spelling of Hyuuga with two u's is not a spelling error, because I prefer to use two u's in my writing. It's habit. I will try to update monthly or sooner, but I have lots on my plate this summer and I cannot promise that I will update consistently once school starts back up again. I hope to finish this, but I am a very terrible procrastinator, so it will probably take a long while. I hope you enjoy this story!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, not a single part. Not the characters, not the story, not the universe. But boy, if I did...

Here's Chapter 2! Please enjoy!

**Night**

~Chapter II~

Naruto and Hinata walked down the uneven path, leaves crunching beneath their feet. It was nearing the end of fall, and they were thankful for the dark brown cloaks draped over their shoulders as the night cold settled in. They wore matching brown boots that allowed for easy movement over hard terrain, and were especially warm. They had on black sweat pants that were easily two sizes too large. Their black turtlenecks were hidden beneath a navy blue jacket. Their cloaks flapped behind them in the wind, and the pair huddled deeper into the hoods of their cloaks, as much to keep out of the cold as to keep their faces hidden.

They blended in well with the shadows as they walked towards the village gates. If not for the leaves beneath their feet, and the small breaths that were visible in the cold, one would have been hard pressed to notice them.

The two emerged from the forest path and drew nearer to the village gates. The gates were thrown wide open, never closing unless faced with an invasion. Two guards clad in fur coats stood on either side of the gates, eyeing the newcomers warily. They each had a large sword on their backs, as well as kunai pouches visible on their legs. These guards were not unaccustomed to fighting, and Naruto and Hinata didn't want to give them any reason to draw their swords on them.

They were about five feet from the men before one of the guards broke the cold silence of the night."What are you two doing here?"

Naruto stepped forward, raising his hands to his hood. "We've come from Sunagakure. We've had enough of that monster watching every move we make, and my aunt told me that this village would welcome deserters," he explained as he lowered his hood. Brown bangs fell into his face, his usually unruly hair combed and lying flat rather than pointing in all directions.

The guards stared at this newcomer without batting an eye. Neither of them recognized the youth, so they doubted he was anything to worry about. He had three whiskers upon each cheek, but the guards dismissed this tiny fact as inconsequential. They had seen much stranger things in their duties as guards. However, they were very good at their jobs, and there was still one person whose face they hadn't seen.

"And him?" the guard on the right asked, nodding towards Naruto's companion. Of course, underneath all the clothing she had on, the guard had been unable to see that Hinata was a girl.

Hinata stepped to Naruto's side and lowered her hood as well, the guards' eyes watching closely. Two rather large, deep brown eyes met them, sending an icy shiver down their backs. Those eyes were cold, and they scared the guards so deeply that they were glad they didn't recognize her face from the bingo-book.

In all honesty, Hinata was really just very, very irritated. Not to mention scared. The contacts in her eyes were not comfortable and after walking with them for twelve hours straight, eyes gathering dust and muck from traveling, as well as dry from the sharp winds of this area, Hinata was on edge. Her eyes were very sensitive, and they were really hurting. Of course she was frustrated with this pain. And so she took that frustration, harnessed it, and directed it all towards the two guards barring them passage into the village.

The guards nodded, unconsciously leaning away from the angry woman and her partner.

"Go on ahead," the one on the right told them, for his colleague was speechless through his fear. Neither of them looked to be that great of a threat towards the village; well, the scary woman did, but the young age of the two made him feel experienced enough that he didn't think they would pose much trouble.

Naruto hid his grin until they had passed the men and were out of earshot, then turned to Hinata and beamed. "Hehe, that went just like it was supposed to, huh Hinata-Chan?"

Hinata returned the smile quickly, then hushed him with a finger to her lips. "B-b-be careful N-N-Naruto-kun. W-W-We aren't safe y-y-yet," she whispered, though she herself was being somewhat reckless by using his real name. Hinata was shivering, and though she wished she could attribute her stuttering to the cold, she knew better. She hid from Naruto's immediate gaze by pulling her hood up. Naruto, after a few seconds, did the same.

Mere moments later, a young woman with hair a color between blue and purple rushed into their sights, cursing audibly. Her string of obscenities ceased for a moment as she saw the two of them. Then she waved.

"Hey, nephew-Chan, get over here. I don't have a cloak like you, and it's friggin cold out here," she called.

Naruto and Hinata shared a surprised look between them before rushing towards this woman. She wasn't exactly inconspicuous. She had on a deep blue vest, a dark purple long-sleeved t-shirt, light-brown leather boots, and, the most inconspicuous part about it all, bright yellow pants. A tail of dark purple hair flopped behind her head, framing her shining face. A yellow scarf was tied around her neck, and light-brown eyes shone in the moonlight.

Now, Naruto himself wasn't exactly a fashion expert, but even he knew that this outfit of hers was pretty outrageous. He didn't get a chance to tell her this, however, because she had already turned and was rapidly walking back in the direction she had appeared. Jogging slightly to catch up, he and Hinata followed her. Naruto didn't even have time to feel affronted at the -Chan suffix she had addressed him with.

The streets of the village were dark and damp. The chilly air was tinged with a sickening smell, and Naruto had to keep himself from retching as they passed what he was sure to be a corpse on the ground. Children lay on the streets, most asleep, but the echo of sobs was haunting, and it was all Naruto could do not to crouch down and cry himself.

Hinata was very tense beside him. Her heart reached out to each body they passed cringing on the floor. Many of the people who lay shivering in the streets were children and youths, or else old and cripples. Hinata fumbled with the catch of her cloak, unfastening it. As she prepared to drape it over a pair of sleeping girls, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

Hinata looked up to see their strange partner shaking her head quietly. Hinata felt tears well up in her eyes, feeling helplessness descend upon her as the young woman guided them to a small house just a little further down, leaving the two sleeping girls shivering in the cold night.

The woman fumbled in her pockets, swearing softly, before pulling out a key that she inserted into the keyhole of her house. The lock turned, but the woman held her hand up, motioning for them to stand back.

The woman, her back to them, began forming seals with such speed that Kakashi, known for his lightning-fast sealing, would be put to shame. She concealed these quick movements by pretending to be giving thanks to God through prayer. After a few seconds, the woman brought her hands down and then pushed the door open, ushering them inside.

The door closed behind them and the woman again performed her seals, though she had a bit more of a relaxed air about her. She locked the door, pocketing her key, and turned to see the pair bawling their eyes out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up," the woman said, frowning. She stepped forward towards the pair. "What's up with YOU guys?"

Hinata, tears streaming down her face, shook her head sorrowfully. Naruto answered instead.

"So many people..." he said in a hopeless voice."So many innocent kids just left there to die..." Shaking himself slightly, he glared at her. "Why wouldn't you let Hinata give her cloak to those poor girls? They looked like they needed it real bad!" he said.

Sorami sighed. This kid was obviously just as brash as Tsunade's report had warned. "Listen, kid. Firstly, you haven't confirmed that I am indeed who you think I am- if I were an enemy you would've just told me that your partner's name is Hinata and also that you care about children a lot. I could use that against you. Secondly, to answer your original question, I didn't let her give up her cloak 'cuz it could be traced back to her. If our enemies find out that you have a soft-spot for children, they could use that against you." She paused for a moment. "And stop crying," she added in a stern voice.

They both complied, wiping the tears from their faces. It kind of made Sorami sad to see them so compassionate towards people they would probably never see again.

Naruto stared at her, his cheeks still moist. She had justified what she had done perfectly, but the part that really got him was how he could've put Hinata and himself in danger were this woman not who they thought she was. Naruto quickly resigned to rectify that. He was in a bad mood after having walked all day and night, and he felt terrible after having seen the state of the village. He channeled that anger into his next words.

"Prove who you are," he demanded, glaring at her.

Sorami sighed. He had a lot to learn. It wasn't like she ENJOYED watching villagers suffer all around her, knowing with every step she took that she could save them, but that it would jeopardize the mission. The boy in front of her seemed to think this was the case though, and she was in no mood to point this out to him. Instead, she decided to comply with his request.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a scroll, handing it to the youth without question. She watched as he ripped it open, his eyes wandering quickly over the list of names that she had provided of possible and likely spies for Orochimaru.

The girl finally spoke up. "A-a-aren't you g-going to ask us t-to prove w-w-who we are?" she asked the woman. Hinata's eyes were still brimming with tears, but she had enough sense to notice that this woman wasn't actually following procedure perfectly. Procedure dictated that one only traded evidence verifying one's identity if one was given evidence of the same kind; this basically meant that the woman should only have given Naruto the scroll he was holding once Naruto had procured evidence of who he was. Hinata found that she trusted the woman before her, but she couldn't help but wonder if she was usually this lax about procedure-it could ruin the mission.

Sorami shook her head. "No," she said simply. Seeing the girl's confused expression, she decided to explain. "Your friend here leaked so much information in his statements earlier that I have no reason to doubt that you two are really who you're supposed to be. Besides, the jutsu I have surrounding this house would've zapped you on the spot if you were using any jutsu to conceal your true appearance, and Tsunade sent me pictures of what you look like, descriptions of you and your personalities, stuff like that."

Naruto closed the scroll rather loudly before tossing it on a small coffee table nearby. "Yea," he said to Hinata. "This is her alright." He was still angry at the woman for not letting Hinata hand over her cloak to the children in need, but he knew that she had a very good reason. Now that he had confirmed who she was, he didn't hafta worry about his or Hinata's safety, at least for the moment. This thought had a calming effect on him, and he visibly relaxed, the day's stress catching up with him as he suddenly felt a small wave of fatigue sweep over him.

Hinata saw this and felt her cheeks redden. Naruto-kun looked so handsome, even with a bit of a dopey look crossing his face.

Sorami hid a smirk. Was the girl actually blushing at him? Then she frowned as the implications of this revelation settled in on her. Oh gawd, she thought. The girl is blushing at him. What have I gotten myself into?

Sorami cleared her throat. "The name's Sorami," she stated, trying to get her mind off that topic.

There was a small pause while Sorami went to the fireplace and proceeded to light a fire, figuring that the kids would appreciate the warmth after having basically frozen their butts off to reach the village.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and this is my friend, Hinata," Naruto replied once Sorami had finished with the fire.

Sorami nodded in acknowledgement. She knew their names already, because of Tsunade's report, but that wasn't really important. She figured that the demon-boy in front of her was more courageous than the Hyuuga because of the simple fact that the girl had yet to speak anything more than a few words in her presence.

Sorami gestured to the armchairs to her right, walking to the sofa and flopping down on it, arms behind her head. She reached out to the coffee table, where a bowl of grapes was located, and plucked out a handful, watching as Naruto and Hinata seated themselves in the chairs.

The girl was DEFINITELY blushing; if not for the fire casting a red glow that hid her blush, Sorami was sure that she would see a bright-red tomato where the girl's face should have been. She sighed, tossing a few grapes into her mouth, chewing as she thought of the best way to approach this problem. She had to be delicate about this; if the Hokage had sent them here as lovers knowing that they liked each other, Sorami wouldn't feel obliged to watch over them and keep an eye on them and could just ignore whatever went down. The problem was, she doubted that was the case. They had to sleep in the same room alright. If anyone came into the house and discovered that the two supposed "lovers" slept in separate rooms, they'd figure out that something was up. Sorami wasn't even sure if these two were boyfriend and girlfriend, and she didn't like jumping to conclusions. So she decided to find out, quickly swallowing what remained of her handful of grapes.

"Are you two dating?" she asked, figuring she might as well be as blunt as she could be. It turned out to be a wrong move on her part.

There was an awkward moment of silence in which both the youths in the armchairs felt their faces grow hot. Then, the girl slumped forward in her chair.

She had fainted.

"Aaaahhh, Hinata-Chan!" Naruto cried out, jumping from his chair over to his friend.

Sorami sat up suddenly when the girl had passed out. She had no idea that it was a common occurrence for the girl to faint in Naruto's presence, particularly in what she felt to be an embarrassing situation.

Naruto, however, was not unfamiliar with this type of thing. In fact, Granny-Tsunade had taught him how to check for vital signs and make sure the patient was alright because of the large number of times he had rushed an unconscious Hinata to the hospital. So he proceeded to do just that, relieved to find that she was fine other than being unconscious.

Sorami grabbed another handful of grapes. So the girl obviously was rather embarrassed. That was fine with her, Sorami thought as she shoved the grapes into her mouth, reaching for another handful before she even finished chewing the grapes in her mouth. She wondered how she was going to explain the fact that they would hafta share a bed... She decided that she might as well tell the boy now, and she'd leave it to him to explain to the unconscious girl in the armchair.

"Hey, kid," Sorami said, addressing the demon-boy. He either didn't hear her, or chose to ignore her. Holding back a growl, she cleared her throat. "Hey, Naruto-Chan," she said loudly.

The boy turned his face towards her, though she could tell that he was still more focused on the Hyuuga. "Hmmm?" he responded distractedly, the fire's glow casting a shadow of worry into his face and eyes as he examined Hinata.

"You two hafta share a bed, that's why I asked the dating question," she explained.

The boy's reaction wasn't unexpected, but Sorami still swallowed her grapes fast enough that she nearly choked.

"WHAT?"Naruto screamed, jumping in shock, his ears turning a deep red, visible even through the red hues being cast from the fire. His face soon followed, and Sorami would later swear that he had even had steam flowing from his ears.

An awkward silence ensued, in which the crackling of the fire seemed obscenely loud and uncalled for as the red-faced genin stared at the Jonin, his mouth gaping, eyes wide, and an expression of shock mixed with fear plastered on his face.

Sorami nearly burst out lauding from the awkwardness of it all. Gawd, she was glad she wasn't sixteen anymore. She probably would've died if she had ever found HERSELF in this position three years ago. She held back a chuckle as she repeated herself to the boy.

"I said that you and the Hyuuga will be sharing a room-and a bed," she told him again.

He sputtered. "I-I'm not a pervert like Jiraiya-Sensei!" he whimpered. He had told Tsunade this already-why was it that he had to tell this girl too? He was tired and sad and just plain overwhelmed by the dreariness of the village, and he was too exhausted-both mentally and physically-to put much energy behind his words, though he meant them.

"Well that's great, glad to know you won't be peeping on her in the bath," Sorami replied, feeling a bit sorry for the boy. "Hey," she added, deciding to be nice to him. "You can always grab a tatami mat from the storage room I have and sleep on that," she offered.

Naruto nodded, grateful that she had been generous enough to offer him that option. He liked Hinata as a friend, sure, and she WAS pretty, no denying that, but he just didn't feel right thinking about sleeping in the same bed as her. He didn't want her to think he was some kinda pervert, after all. Cuz he wasn't. Well, not much of one, he added, blushing slightly as he remembered how he had met Jiraiya.

Sorami popped a few more grapes into her mouth, directing the boy to grab the girl. He obliged as she turned to the hallway, pointing at the staircase.

"Up there, second door to your left," she told him. "I'm going down here to get your mat," she told him, pointing down the hallway towards a door.

Naruto thanked her, then proceeded to carry Hinata up the stairs to their room.

Let's see... Naruto thought as he reached the top of the staircase. It opened into a small corner of a larger room, and Naruto frowned, not sure if this was the right room. He shrugged, then walked past the large room, finding himself in a rather narrow hallway. He passed the first door, then reached out and began to turn the handle on the second door to his left.

It opened into a rather sparsely furnished room, with a queen-sized bed taking up much of the room, a small nightstand with a lamp perched next to it on both sides.

Naruto gently laid Hinata onto the bed, and then turned on the lamp. The window cast a blue hue into the room, and he could see the moon partially covered by clouds through it. The glow of the lamp illuminated Hinata's face, and he absently moved a lock of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

Hinata's really pretty he thought, then blushed. He mentally berated himself, reminding himself that he was NOT a pervert. He shook his head to clear such thoughts from his mind. Hinata was a friend. Just a friend.

He was still repeating that to himself as Sorami trudged through the door, dragging a rather dusty tatami mat in her wake. Naruto rushed over to help her, glad that he had something to take his mind off of his strange train of thought.

They placed the mat on the opposite side of the room as the closet. Naruto barely had enough space to place the mat on the floor between the side of the bed and the wall. Even though he was still a little closer to Hinata than made him comfortable, Naruto was relieved that he needn't share the same bed with her.

Sorami dusted her hands off, looking at the arrangement. If someone were to peek through the window, they would only be able to see the bed, and not the mat. Likewise, if someone were to peek through the door, the tatami mar would be obscured from view behind the bed. She smiled, pleased with the placement of the mat. Nobody would know that these two weren't really lovers unless they looked through the entire room.

A small sound disrupted her thoughts, and Sorami found the source immediately. The face of the girl who had been lying peacefully on the bed was twitching slightly, and a small moan escaped her lips as she began to regain consciousness. Sorami decided to leave. This girl was a bit of a handful, though she was probably sharper than her boy companion. It had been a long day, though, and Sorami had to wake up early for her job in the village later on. She would already be going on five hours of sleep; no point in wasting any more of those precious hours.

"Well, g'night you two," she told them, stifling a yawn as the Chunin sat up in bed, her eyes widening as the words formed meaning in her mind. Sorami didn't want to stick around any longer to watch more sixteen-year-old hormones rage wild, so she hurriedly crossed the room and left, closing the door behind her.

~End Chapter II~

**Author's Comments:** Well firstly, earlier I noticed that perhaps this should be called Author's Notes, but I don't really care. Anyway, I finished this probably about four months ago, but I never bothered to clean it up and edit it until yesterday and today. I figured I might as well put it up, but from now on I will probably take awhile. I have the next two chapters written, but I need to edit and I don't want to post another chapter until I finish Chapter 5, because I want to be able to update during the school year. I hope that you are all enjoying this story! I've written one-shots on a different site, but only one or two, and I don't count one-shots as true stories. They are stories, but they require less words, and their plots are relatively simple. You hafta make it short, after all. My story may be a little long for some readers, and that's all right because I respect that everyone enjoys different styles of writing. I prefer this format.

However, my sister told me that I needed to work on descriptions. She's right-my stories are mainly action and dialogue-oriented. So as I am writing, you may notice some awkward sentences in the chapters to come because I am experimenting with my writing style, and the way I describe things. I'm using this story to improve my writing, after all! Thank you for taking the time to read all this, because I know most people just skip over these! And mine are especially long ~_~ I hope you enjoy my story!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Okay, so let me explain this chapter. This was originally supposed to be Chapter III, but I screwed up and posted the wrong chapter.. So, basically, I'm giving you guys a bonus chapter now! So fun! I was debating whether to even post this or not, but if I continue this story to the point where I want to, then this is necessary. If I don't, then it's a nice little extra for your comedy relief ^_^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I never will, no matter what I say or do that indicates otherwise. None of the characters, the places, nothing, nada. Y^Y**

**Night**

~Chapter 3~

Hinata stared at the door that Sorami had just closed. She had heard the words that Sorami had spoken to her, but the meaning eluded her for a few moments. Then she strung the words together, and comprehension dawned on her face. Good night, _you two_?

A small 'meep' escaped the girl as she saw Naruto sitting on the floor next to her. He stood up and dusted off his knees, stretching as he stood. Hinata watched in fascination as the muscles in his arms and chest stood out against the taut fabric of his shirt. Wow, she hadn't known that Naruto even HAD muscles of that size-his three-year training trip with Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, had obviously toughened the boy up. Hinata blushed furiously as she realized how her thoughts had strayed in the span of such few moments, and then she locked eyes with Naruto.

A grin spread across Naruto's face as he saw Hinata's eyes wide open, a healthy color tinting her cheeks. She was already feeling better, then, if she had just woken up. Naruto sat on the edge of the bed. He then realized suddenly that he and Hinata still had their traveling gear on. Well, that was pretty rude if him, wasn't it? It must've been uncomfortable for Hinata to have been lying on her backpack chalk-full of sharp objects.

"Aw, man, I'm sorry Hinata-Chan," a sheepish Naruto told her, much to Hinata's surprise. What was he apologizing for?

"Err, well I think we should keep our ninja gear somewhere close in case we ever need it, so we can just put it against the wall here, for now. Tomorrow we can unpack it and put it in the closer or the drawers," Naruto continued. He pulled his cloak over his head, folding it onto his arm as he let his backpack fall off his shoulders and onto his other arm. He dropped it and the cloak on the floor at the foot of his tatami mat, which was as close as he could get the gear to himself. His shuriken and kunai pouches soon piled on top of his cloak, and he looked at the pile in satisfaction. He then turned and offered his arm, willing to take Hinata's gear and put it into another pile next to his.

Hinata wasn't sure why his arm was out. Naruto had an arm out towards her, as though he were offering her something, or expecting something to be offered to him. A slight blush began to show on her face as she wondered what it as Naruto wanted her to give him and the fact that she had no idea what he was asking for. Then she realized that he was probably asking for her gear.

She hurriedly attempted to lift the cloak over her head. She hasn't realized she was sitting on part of it, though. She could feel her face turning hot as she wiggled, attempting to get the cloak out from under her butt. Finally, she pulled the thing over her head. She was so embarrassed that she couldn't meet Naruto's eyes as she handed him the cloak, leaning forward slightly in order to reach his hands.

She then proceeded to take her backpack off, followed by her shuriken holster and kunai pouch. She handed them into Naruto's waiting arms with a small 'thank you'.

Naruto was gaping. He also knew he was blushing slightly. Well, hey, what guy WOULDN'T be gaping if they had been in his position? He had just seen Hinata remove her cloak in a really weird way, true, but the sight of the fabric tight against her chest had offered him a view of some things he had certainly not known his friend had. Well, he supposed that he had always known Hinata had them, as she was a girl, but the fact that they were so-Naruto slammed the breaks on his thoughts as he realized they were turning perverted. I am NOT a pervert like Jiraiya-Sensei! He cried silently in his head. He shook his head slightly as Hinata offered him the cloak. Hinata would've killed him if she heard what he had just thought-after all, that's what Sakura would've done, right?

Naruto, in his limited experience with kunoichi and females, used Sakura as a guide for the way women acted. After all, Granny-Tsunade certainly acted like Sakura, and Tenten beat up on Neji and Lee, from the stories he had heard from Lee. It just seemed logical to assume that Hinata would be just as violent as them. Something told him he was wrong, though, as Hinata unstrapped her shuriken holster from her leg and untied the kunai-pouch from her waist. Her eyes were much gentler than those of the other women in his life, he noted as she gathered her backpack, shuriken holster and kunai-pouch in her arms. He also noticed that the way she moved was a lot smaller, and kinder. She handed her things to him and he smiled at her. She was really nice, wasn't she? Even Naruto knew that she'd make some poor sap real happy when she married him. Naruto wasn't sure why he was thinking about that, though, so he pushed it out of his mind.

Naruto walked to the side of her bed, placing her things gently on the floor, taking special care to make sure all her items were easily accessible from her position on the bed. He stepped back, nodding his head, satisfied with his work. He stifled a yawn. It was getting pretty late, he realized, and he knew that Hinata would be just as tired as him.

He walked over to his tatami mat on the floor and the few sheets that were drooped atop it. It wouldn't be the warmest, but he wasn't bothered. He had slept in much worse conditions while training under Jiraiya-Sensei the past three years.

Hinata realized that Naruto was going to sleep on the floor! Oh no, she couldn't have that! It was sure to be cold, and she knew it was polite of him to give her the entire bed, but she would feel rotten tonight knowing that he was sleeping on the cold, hard floor while she slept in a warm, soft bed.

"N-Naruto-kun," she managed to squeak out.

"Mmmn?" his voice asked from the floor.

Oh no no no! This wasn't supposed to happen! Naruto-kun was most definitely NOT supposed to be sleeping on the floor! She had to tell him, no matter how embarrassing it was, that she didn't want him to sleep on the floor.

"Y-you're sleeping on the floor...? B-b-but it's c-c-cold and hard and uncomfortable," she forced herself to say.

Naruto sat up. "Nah," he told her, wearing a smile. "It's not that bad. Sorami-san had a tatami mat and let me use it. There are some spare sheets too, so it's not like I'll be cold. Don't worry about me, Hinata, I'm good," he told her with inflection.

Hinata was surprised. She hadn't noticed any tatami mat, but upon further observation, she noted that Naruto was slightly taller than he should be. She craned her neck over the bed, and indeed there was a tatami mat with a bundle of sheets at its foot. She blushed as she lay down under the covers of her bed. He would think she was some sort of unobservant twit for sure, now. She suddenly realized how smelly she was from the day's travel to the village-walking with only a stop for lunch and restroom-breaks was grievously tiring, and the work was certainly sweaty. She hadn't had a wash when she arrived in this village, and she hoped Naruto didn't think she smelled awful.

With this thought in mind, the Hyuuga huddled into a small ball, closing her eyes for sleep. Though she was exhausted, she was acutely aware of Naruto beside her bed. His deep breaths created a soft steady rhythm, and she fell asleep before its steadiness.

Naruto listened to the soft breaths of the girl in the bed beside him. He wasn't uncomfortable in this position, hands behind his head and three sheets atop him. The tatami mat wasn't exquisitely comfortable, but Naruto had solved this problem by laying a sheet atop it to keep the prickly straws from poking him too much.

The girl's breaths were rather soft, and quick at first. But Naruto noticed that it gradually slowed. He smiled. Hinata was really pretty cool, he mused. The girl hadn't complained once on the journey here. For lunch he had cooked some ramen noodles, an act that would have made Sakura angry at him. But Hinata had actually seemed EXCITED about eating his ramen; she had even commented that he was a really good cook. Naruto knew this was a bit of a stretch, as he had simply thrown some noodles into boiling water over a campfire and let them simmer for three minutes before sprinkling in some chicken flavoring, but he was pleased that Hinata had enjoyed the meal.

With a small smile on his lips, the boy drifted into a peaceful dream involving himself and Hinata eating ramen in a sunny place, laughing as clouds drifted lazily by overhead.

The sun shone brightly onto her closed eyes, making the world behind her eyelids glow a light orange. She tried to close her eyes further, raising her arm to shade her eyes and scrunching them tightly together, but to no avail. She moaned as her drowsy brain attempted to completely revive from its deep slumber. Finally resigning herself to the fact that she could not go to sleep with the sun in her face, the girl looked out her window and sighed. It was morning already, and she really wanted to sleep more. Her night of training had left her upper and lower body sore, and she grated her teeth together as she sat up in her bed. She knew some jutsu that would ease her muscles' strain, but she wanted to conserve as much chakra as possible for another day of training.

Two weeks before Naruto had returned from his three-year training session with Jiraiya, Sakura Haruno had plucked up enough courage and sucked up enough of her pride to ask Lee for some taijutsu training. He had immediately agreed, overjoyed that his beloved Sakura-Chan had finally felt the joy of youth ringing in her bones. Sakura had quickly dodged a barrage of kisses, and punched him in the face. Lee had only beamed more, for she truly was full of youthfulness.

However, he had a week-long mission assigned the next day, effectively screwing up the training schedule he had drawn up for her. She admitted that it scared her stiff, that training schedule did. Lee had said that they would start very simple, as she was only just entering the youthful world of spandex and sunsets, and so had suggested in her schedule that they not give her any weights until she was through with four days of training.

So while Lee was off on his mission, Sakura had used her spare-time training in preparation for when he would return. She had thought herself well prepared when he had returned. Little had she known that when Lee wrote "100 laps" that he had not been referring to the training grounds-rather, he had been referring to the entire village of Konoha! Yesterday had been her first day training with Lee, and she thought that she was going to die!

Nonetheless, as painful as the training was, she knew that Lee had not made her do anything past her limits; rather, he had tested the boundary of her limits and was pushing her to go further. She wanted to become strong enough to help Naruto, to help the village, and-most importantly-to bring Sasuke back. Sakura gulped back her emotions, knowing that crying wouldn't help any. She had cried enough the year after Sasuke's departure; she couldn't afford to waste any more time. She knew that Sasuke wasn't wasting any-and she was behind him in terms of both ninjutsu and taijutsu; she needed every second to train and catch up with him.

After yesterday's practice, Lee had decided that his estimate had been off. Sakura was so youthful, he told her, that she needs only two days to train without weights!

And thus, Sakura dreaded the end of the day, as with it came the promise of god-only-knows-how-heavy-they-are weights, things that Sakura feared and yet respected. They made Lee very, very powerful and fast, but he had admitted to her that it took awhile to get used to the additional pounds.

Sakura winced as she stood, massaging a few muscles, hoping to ease the pain without wasting chakra. She was studying with Tsunade-sama today again, this time in the art of concocting a new poison and then concocting an antidote for it. Sakura already had something in mind, and she hoped that Tsunade-sama would approve of it.

After that, she had her rounds at the hospital to make. Once Tsunade had learned that Sakura was going to study taijutsu under Lee, she had drastically reduced Sakura's required hours in the hospital, telling the girl that she needed to conserve more chakra, get more rest, and not be surprised if she was rushed to the hospital for any form of dehydration, over-exertion, or other training-related illnesses. However, the Hokage had warned that if Sakura treated her body that badly, Tsunade would make her pay. At that, Sakura had gulped and broken out in a sweat. Three years of training under the Hokage had taught her to not only respect the woman, but to fear her as well.

Sakura sighed. She had ten minutes till her training with Tsunade began. If she didn't leave now, she was going to be late. But she could do this. She was strong now, and getting stronger every day.

Popping a small breakfast into her mouth, the girl rushed outside, locking the door behind her. Her parents had already left for work. Checking to make sure none of her neighbors were within shouting-distance, Sakura punched the air.

"SHANAROOOOOO!"

And with that, the girl broke into a run that the normal passerby could only identify as a blur with a slightly red color and possibly a hint of pink.

Lee panted heavily. His green jumpsuit was hot and sweaty, sticking to his back and his brows were slick with sweat. The sun behind him was setting, a golden orb hovering at the edge a red sky, purple clouds and the edge of the Hokage monument partially obscuring the shining rays.

The pink-haired kunoichi beside him was panting more than him, hands on her knees, head down, with her bangs obscuring her face from his view. He knew that she was regaining her breath, and he could hear her gasps of air.

Lee was surprised at her progress. When he had returned from his mission, he had expected her to be unprepared for his training methods. Though she was slower than Lee even without any weights, Lee noted that the time it took them to run around the village 100 times had drastically decreased. The first day, Sakura had taken five hours to complete twenty laps around the village, and he had told her to go home and rest after those. Today they had run fifty laps in four hours. They had even done 1,000 jump ropes, and he had begun to teach her how to open the First Gate. She was having trouble opening the Gate, but Lee was sure that she had at least partially opened it, because her speed had slightly increased thereafter.

Looking at her now, however, Lee was positive that she was running low on chakra. In fact, she had already been running low on chakra when she had arrived, and though her partially-opened gate had probably sealed itself closed, it had probably drained most of her remaining chakra. Lee knew that she had been training earlier in the day with the Hokage-sama, and realized that she had used lots of chakra in her training session with the Hokage in the morning.

That means that she didn't use much chakra during this lesson at all, Lee thought. He looked at Sakura with a new admiration in his eye. She was so youthful! Though she wouldn't catch up to him in Taijutsu for several years, she had already surpassed him in terms of the speed and strength he held three years ago as a genin. The handsome green-devil of Konoha beamed at the girl in front of him as she straightened, sweat dripping into her eyes.

"Sakura-Chan, you are ready for your weights now! You are so youthful it amazes me!" he told her, giving her the classic thumbs-up sign that Gai-Sensei had taught him.

Sakura grunted in reply, not wanting to waste any more energy; she would need that for the walk home.

Lee shrugged off his backpack and unzipped the front pocket, pulling out two weights with one hand. Grinning from ear to ear he handed them to Sakura, warning her that they might be a little heavy.

Then he let them drop into Sakura's arms. Her eyes widened as the weight dropped her arms to the ground, where she fell unceremoniously to meet them. She lifted her face off the ground and met Lee's eyes.

Lee was shocked. He had not known that the kunoichi would fall down when he handed her the weights. Quickly, he tugged one out of her hand and held it firmly.

"S-Sakura-Chan," he mumbled, looking her over to make sure she was alright. "I didn't know that they would be too heavy. Honestly, I didn't mean to hurt you! Are you all right? Can you stand?" he asked, offering his arm.

Sakura gritted her teeth as she nodded, grabbing his arm for support as she lifter herself off the ground into a crouch, making a huge effort to move her arm that still held the weight. With clumsy movements, she tied the weights around her left leg.

Lee watched her, hoping that she wouldn't fall down again and that the weights wouldn't hurt her. He hadn't thought to factor in her fatigue when he thought to have her try the weights on-five hours of training, he realized now, would make the weights seem all the more heavier to her. However, when the girl held out her hand for the second weight in Lee's hand, looking at him with a face set in determination, he relented and handed it to her.

Sakura strapped on the second weight and stood up. She could immediately feel the heaviness in her legs, and she knew that the walk home would be a lot harder than expected.

Lee gasped, then rummaged around in his backpack for something.

"Sakura-Chan, I almost forgot!" he informed her as he continued to rummage within the bag's contents. "Gai-Sensei and I decided to give you a gift in order to welcome you into the world of training. He was very surprised and pleased that you were ready for your first weight, and he wanted to give you a gift-and I agreed." Lee was beaming as he yanked something out of his pack, discarding the bag to the side as he held the item in his hands, with something resembling reverence in his eyes.

Sakura saw what it was, and she trembled in fear at it. She would've taken another set of weights rather than what Lee held in his hands. She felt like crying knowing that she would be spending hours in training with that thing on.

"We both agreed that you, Sakura-Chan, were youthful enough to wear this. It will look perfect with your eyes," he added, oblivious to Sakura's look of horror.

Lee held it out to Sakura, and with hesitant movements (which were not helped with the new weights) Sakura stepped forward and retrieved her gift.

As she held her new, green jumpsuit before her, she could do nothing but stare in horror as Lee beamed at her.

~End Chapter 3~

**Author's Comments:** Ahaha, even though I wrote this a few months ago, I like this chapter because it was really fun to write Lee. I know he's not this crazy about youth, but I like making it this way. I'm not sure whether to make SasuSaku, and if I don't, then my second choice is LeeSaku. My sister insists I make SasuSaku, but I'm not sure if Sakura is going to have any pairings in **Night** at all, actually. She won't be making any major appearances, but I thought it was important for you to know about her growth, because I want to show that Naruto and Hinata are not the only ones who are growing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Night**

~Chapter IV~

Naruto yawned as he stretched. His right hand hit something, and he looked over to see that he was next to a bed. For a few moments, Naruto was confused. Had he slipped out of his bed and fallen to the floor during the night? Odd, his sheets were wrapped comfortably around him, and he seemed to be sleeping on a reasonably soft surface. And his window wasn't in the right place...

Then Naruto saw one of his brown bangs in front of him and remembered that he was on a mission. Blowing the lock of hair from his face, Naruto sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. A quick glance at the window told him that it was late morning. Naruto scrambled to his feet and trooped across the floor, attempting to be quiet for the sleeping Hinata's benefit and miserably failing. He opened the door softly and closed it behind him. He wandered down the hallway, looking for the bathroom. He didn't open any closed doors; after all, he didn't want to upset this Sorami-ninja person. She seemed okay, but he knew that if he looked into a room he wasn't supposed to look into, he would feel the wrath of a very powerful woman. Naruto shuddered at the thought.

So he traipsed downstairs and wandered around, finally finding it. He went into the restroom and relieved himself. There, that made me feel better, he thought as he washed his hands. Drying them on a towel, Naruto caught sight of his now brown hair in the mirror.

He had brushed and combed it furiously the night before they departed from Konoha using Tsunade's special detangling stuff after finding that he still looked exactly the same even after Shizune had dyed his hair. Yanking out years of tangles wasn't easy, and it left him in tears afterwards, but Naruto was pleased with his disguise.

A bit of his hair was sticking up in the back, so Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a tube of what he had dubbed "Tsunade's special detangling stuff". The woman had called it something different-though what, he wasn't sure-and had told him that he would definitely look a lot different without all those tangles. She had added that she had made it herself just for him, and told him that it had some chakra in it that would help to flatten his hair, and that it was powerful stuff; according to Granny-Tsunade, the gunk could last through wind and rain and snow and hail and fire. Seeing as how most of his hair had remained in place, Naruto felt obliged to agree.

He squeezed some of the stuff out of the tube and slathered it over his unruly hair. It immediately fell back into place, and Naruto smiled.

He looked like a completely different person. Though he still had whiskers on his face, the hair change had rendered him unrecognizable unless under close inspection; Naruto had walked right past Shikamaru and Chouji on his way out of the village and they had made no signs indicating that they recognized him.

Once they had passed through Konoha's gates, they had switched out their Leaf-hitaiate for a Sand one, and traipsed down many roads to arrive at the small village around midnight, taking many obscure routes in order to arrive from the direction of Sunagakure.

Naruto turned from his reflection and left the restroom, heading back to the bedroom. Without his signature orange jumpsuit, he felt very small. Granted, he had toned down the loudness of his outfit during the past three years, but he had always kept a bit of orange on his outfits.

Naruto sniffed the air. He smelled bad. Well, he would just go and get his clothes and take a shower in the restroom he had just left. He didn't want Hinata to smell him like this; heck, he didn't want ANYONE to suffer from their nostrils exploding upon coming into contact with his scent. Come to think of it, the last time he had showered had been three days prior to their mission-bluntly put, Naruto smelled terrible.

Crinkling his nose, Naruto tiptoed into the room. Only to gasp in surprise. Hinata was crying.

Naruto rushed over to her. "Hinata-Chan, what's wrong?" he asked, worry and concern filling each word.

Hinata looked at him strangely. "Oh, N-N-Naruto-kun. I-I-it's nothing. I j-just slept with m-m-my contacts in, a-a-and m-my eyes are just s-sore...I-I-I'm sorry to have w-worried you!" she stuttered.

Naruto now saw that a contact case and solution stood atop the nightstand nearest Hinata. Naruto felt something akin to guilt rise in him. He had been the one who insisted they sleep, and he hadn't even considered that she might want to take care of some things-like taking out her contacts-before turning in. Man, he was an idiot.

"Hinata-Chan, I'm sorry, that was my fault..." Naruto told her guiltily, hand behind his head.

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. What was Naruto saying? Of course it wasn't his fault! If anything, it was her fault for not having taken her contacts out; they had been bothering her the whole day, after all, but she had forgotten about that last night.

"N-N-No, Naruto-kun, it w-wasn't your f-fault..." Hinata mumbled, feeling herself flush. She hated being embarrassed like this; she wanted to be strong like him, but she could never talk to Naruto without a stutter, or without blushing. It was all she could do not to faint while in the same room as him, and she had only acquired that skill as a result of pure willpower. Sure, she had fainted when she saw him again for the first time in three years, but that was because she had been very surprised. She had gotten stronger over three years, both in skill and in inner strength of the heart, but it was still a challenge to keep a steady heartbeat while around Naruto, to keep her breathing even, to keep from blushing, to keep from twiddling her fingers. All of which she was not doing at that moment.

"No, it really was. I should've asked you if you wanted some time alone to get ready for bed, I really should've. Hinata-Chan, that was my fault. As the man around here, I gotta take care of you, right?" he told her, a grin making his face light up at the last words.

Hinata almost fainted. Through sheer force of will, she refrained from doing so. However, she certainly felt weak. That's right, she thought. Naruto-kun and her were posing as...as... She trailed off, embarrassed. Her mind distracted her by sending her a whiff of herself, upon which she grimaced. She reeked of sweat.

Jumping out of bed, she rushed to her pack against the wall and hoisted it into her arms. She hoped Naruto didn't catch a whiff of her, but if she showered or bathed she wouldn't have to worry about that for a while. "Umm, I'm g-g-going to w-w-wash up..." she told him quickly.

She dashed out of the room and walked downstairs. She heard Naruto's voice from the balcony above. "It's down that hallway, second door to your left," he exclaimed, hoping she heard him.

A soft "thank you" wafted into his ears, and he smiled as he watched the Hyuuga rush into the restroom. Naruto then turned and headed back into the bedroom. He decided to pass the time by cleaning up a little. He made his bed, and then walked over to the closet.

Upon opening it, Naruto saw that several empty hangers were on the rack. Naruto traipsed to his bag and dumped the contents on his futon. He was surprised by what he saw, his face turning red as he lifted a white article of clothing into the air, stretching it.

These are NOT boxers, Naruto thought. He hurriedly stuffed the various clothes back into the bag. Hinata must have grabbed the wrong bag! He hoped that she hadn't gone through his bag to find the same results he had. Zipping the pack closed, Naruto picked it up and ran from the room.

He knocked on the bathroom door and heard a soft squeak. "Ahh, Hinata-Chan," he began nervously as he forced his mind to refrain from being perverted. "You, err, grabbed the wrong bag. So I brought you yours..." he said, trailing off as he realized that Hinata had been planning to take a shower. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, and he sure as heck knew that HE was feeling uncomfortable. "I'll just, uh, leave your bag out here then," he said, placing the backpack against the door and backing down the hallway with enormous speed.

Hinata looked up from the book she had been reading. Who was knocking? She blushed as she realized it was Naruto. She almost fainted when she realized he must have looked in her bag to have realized it was hers. Oh no! She hoped he hadn't seen anything as embarrassing as her underwear!

Hinata sighed in relief as she heard Naruto retreat from the door. She wasn't happy that he had left, but she was glad that she didn't have to deal with the embarrassment of having him there. For a few moments she had thought that Naruto had somehow discovered she was reading one of the books he had in his bag.

Hinata had quickly discovered that she had grabbed the wrong bag on her way out of the room. But a strange curiosity had overtaken her, and she had pulled out a book that Naruto had. The first book had been a rather risqué one, and she had dropped it back into the bag, blushing as she realized that Naruto must have read it.

The second book she pulled out was written by the same author- she had almost put it away until a character's name had caught her eye.

Naruto. He was the main character of the book! Reading his name over and over was like a dream come true to her. She tore through several pages until Naruto interrupted her, and jolted her back to reality.

She gently set the book back into his pack and opened the door to retrieve her bag. After closing the door, she paused, a finger at her chin, and then set Naruto's bag outside the door in the same place hers had been.

She turned to the shower stall, pulled the curtains aside and turned on the hot water. She felt the temperature rise and sighed as the hot steam rushed over her face. Ahh, this is heavenly, she thought as she undressed and stepped into the shower.

She was in a very good mood as she scrub-a-dub-dubbed, and she hummed a little tune to herself. She then broke out in full song, belting at the top of her lungs as she thought of her mission with Naruto and a giddy smile brightened her face as she thought of the next few months. With him.

She turned off the shower and stepped out, drying and clothing herself. Wrapping a towel around her head of hair, she opened the door and, grabbing her bag of belongings, left to the bedroom. She felt relieved. No more stinky smell, she thought to herself merrily.

She entered the room and saw Naruto hanging his clothes up in the closet.

"Ah, Hinata-Chan, you're done! I think I'll go get myself all fresh 'n clean, too, y'know?" he smiled at her as he pulled some clothes off a hanger and fumbled in the drawer of his nightstand for a bit before straightening and heading towards the door.

Hinata managed a smile in his direction, and she felt another blush creeping up her face. She mentally chided herself for the blush; why did she always blush when Naruto was around? Why couldn't she get used to his presence near her? She liked him, and she knew that was a great factor, but there had to be something else...

Her thoughts were interrupted by Naruto's head peeking through the door. "You sing real pretty, by the way, Hinata-chan. I've heard Sakura sing that song," he said.

At the mention of Naruto's longtime crush, Hinata inwardly flinched. But the next words blew every thought out of Hinata's head.

"But she never ever sang it as good as you. You have a really pretty voice, Hinata-chan. I like it," he told her, smiling. His head disappeared from the doorway and Hinata stared at the place where his head had been.

"You should sing more often, Hinata-Chan," his voice called from the hallway, growing fainter as he descended the stairs.

Hinata sat on the bed with a thump. She put her hands on her cheeks, feeling the warmth they emitted as her face turned crimson. Naruto had heard her singing in the shower. Naruto had heard her SINGING in the shower! And he LIKED it! He thought she sang WELL!

The girl flopped on the bed and smiled.

As Naruto stepped out of the bathroom, a towel around his neck and bare chest glittering with small droplets of water, he heard a door open. Curiously, he walked into the kitchen and was met with a rather interesting sight.

Sorami was dressed in the same clothes as last night, this time with a bright yellow hat covering her ears, purple hair peeking out from under it. On one arm she balanced two grocery bags, and in her other hand she carried a set of keys. She cursed under her breath as she tossed the keys onto the table, then used her now-free hand to reach inside the bag.

One at a time, three sandwiches were banged onto the table, and then a bag of chips followed.

Naruto raised an eyebrow; she thought he was gonna eat a sandwich when there was perfectly good ramen in his bag?

Sorami looked up and spotted him, then narrowed her eyes at his expression.

"What, you don't expect me to eat THAT when I could eat ramen, do ya?" he asked incredulously.

Sorami crumpled up a plastic bag that contained the sandwiches, then dropped the other bag on the table, revealing two packets of grapes.

"Well, it's either that or nothing, cuz until you get a job here I can't afford the luxury of ramen noodles. Plus I spent good money on these, so if you DON'T eat them..." her voice trailed off dangerously.

Naruto swallowed, recognizing that tone of voice; Sakura used it whenever she was about to punch him clear across a room.

"G-gotcha," he mumbled, then retreated from the kitchen, hands raised in defeat. He scampered up the staircase and into his room.

Hinata was hanging her clothes up in the closet, and Naruto smiled at her.

"Hey Hinata, guess what?"

Hinata squeaked in surprise, then turned to face him. Her eyes widened at his exposed chest and her blush deepened as she struggled to respond.

"W-w-what?" she managed.

"Auntie bought us sandwiches," he said. Though he said it smiling, Hinata could tell that the young man was disappointed about something; knowing him, it was probably not because he didn't appreciate Sorami's kindness, but rather the fact that he wasn't going to be eating ramen for lunch.

"T-t-that was very nice of her," Hinata mumbled. Seeing Naruto's somewhat glum eyes, Hinata added "B-b-but maybe for d-d-dinner we can make ramen f-f-from the packets y-y-you brought."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea, Hinata!" he exclaimed. "Ha-ha, you're the best! Let me go ask her!" he joyfully exclaimed as he rushed out the door and pounded downstairs.

Hinata stared at the open doorway. Well, he's certainly energetic today, she mused. Her thoughts strayed to the night before and the small smile that had adorned her lips disappeared as she recalled the cold, dark streets outside.

She turned to the wall and looked at the small window just above her head; a telephone pole was visible through it, with two crows perched atop its wires, the afternoon sun lighting up the blue sky and the clouds inhabiting it. Sunlight as yellow as Naruto's head streamed through it.

It was hard to believe that the streets belonging to that sky were in such dismal condition, with bodies lying on the ground and children shivering for lack of a coat-and she could do nothing about it.

Hinata was a kind-hearted person by nature, and her heart ached to ease the suffering of those outside-but she was a ninja. A ninja on a mission, no less. So she couldn't help them. She couldn't, even though her heart told her to.

The girl took some calming breaths as emotion swelled over her and she fought back tears. Maybe she couldn't help the people outside right away, but perhaps she could later...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud yell of triumph followed by thumping footsteps. Naruto burst into the room, a smile that contrasted greatly with the fake one hurriedly plastered on Hinata's face.

"She said yes! She said yes!" he cried, fist pumping the air as he laughed. "We're getting ramen tonight!"

Hinata smiled, amused at his enthusiasm. He stated a little dance of happiness and she couldn't help but giggle a little.

"T-t-that's great, N-N-Naruto-kun," she told him.

"Yea, but she said if we wanna eat ramen again we're gonna hafta get our jobs as soon as possible," he informed her gravely.

Hinata blinked. "J-j-j-jobs?" she asked.

"Yea, Sorami can't afford everything on her paycheck alone, so she wants us to go work somewhere. She says we can work at the bakery, the butchery, or, ummm... she called it the "clean-up" crew-they're the guys who take care of...the bodies..." he informed her, eyes drifting to the window and glazing over as he remembered the night before.

Hinata gulped. She really didn't want to work on that last one...

"Ummm... H-h-how much do they p-p-pay?" she asked, hoping that the latter would have the lowest pay.

Naruto's eyebrows drew together and his hand scratched the back of his head as he thought. "You know," he said. "I didn't think to-"

"You'll probably wanna work at the bakery. It has the second highest pay, but I think you two would be better off molding dough than slaughtering pigs," Sorami said.

Naruto grimaced and Hinata flinched at the thought, both agreeing with Sorami.

"Well, good, glad you guys are so enthusiastic about this. You start Wednesday, bright 'n early, so enjoy the time you have left before you start your job. I kinda figured you'd choose that, so I went ahead and got you hired."

Naruto smiled, grateful that Sorami had taken care of those things for them. Sorami smiled back, then turned to leave.

"Next weekend, we gotta talk about the mission... But for now, just start fitting in," she said before walking downstairs.

Naruto and Hinata exchanged glances. Naruto shrugged.

"Ehh... So, Hinata-Chan, wanna get started on that ramen with me?"

~End Chapter IV~

**Author's Comments:** Well, I hope that you have enjoyed the story so far! Next chapter is where we get some more plot development, and the chapter after that is filled with action-goodiness. I'm currently working on Chapter vi, so when I have finished that I will most definitely post Chapter iv for you guys!

Also, I noticed that while lots of people read the first chapter, not too many have read the second. That's fine by me! As long as some of you enjoy this story enough to keep reading, I feel very happy!

Please tell me what you think of the story if you've read it up to this point! Any comments or critiques are welcome, but please be respectful! As an author, I want to improve my writing for you, the reader, so any feedback is welcome! Thank you for your time!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: I noticed that last chapter I had forgotten to put a disclaimer. WHOOPS! But I'm too lazy to go back and edit it, so I'll just put it twice here, that way it applies to both chapters~

EDIT: I have fixed the probelm with the chapter titles, so if you read this before, be sure to go back and read the new chapter three, because it's different now (the old chapter three is the new chapter four)! If this is your first time reading my story, then you don't hafta worry about what I just said. Sorry about the confusion! .

EDIT: THIS TIME I FIXED IT!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything Naruto-related.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything Naruto-related.**

**Night**

~Chapter V~

Sorami closed the door and performed several seals, slapping her palms together, then entered the kitchen. She giggled at the sight splayed out before her.

Naruto and Hinata were asleep on the kitchen table. Naruto, uncouth child that he was, was drooling on it, his head perched atop his arms as he slept, snoring slightly.

Hinata lay peacefully, her face in sleep warm and open, bangs slightly hiding her eyes, and her long hair flowing over her. It was hard to see that open face as being reserved and guarded-only in sleep did Hinata let go of her inhibitions.

Sorami walked to the fridge, pulled out a bag of washed grapes, and sat down at the table, an evil glint in her eyes as she gulped down a handful.

A grin crept up her face and she swallowed the grapes, then banged her hand down on the table, hard. "WAKEY WAKEY, KIDDIES!" she cried in a gleeful tone.

Naruto and Hinata jolted upright immediately. Naruto yelped in surprise as he sat up, and fell backwards onto the floor. Hinata blushed and made a wiping gesture, and Naruto, mimicking the motion, wiped the drool from his face.

"Looks like you two had a lot of fun at work today," Sorami said, plucking more grapes to eat.

"It...I...wait, whuh?" Naruto mumbled, wiping sleep from his eyes.

"Ya'd think a job at a bakery would be easy, but here I am back from my job and you two are dead asleep on my table. Was it really that tiring?" Sorami asked, munching thoughtfully on her grapes.

Naruto shrugged. "It was fine, I guess..."

Hinata nodded in agreement. "Th-this whole w-week has been p-p-pretty fun, S-Sorami-san," she said.

Sorami nodded. "Awrite, that's good to hear you guys are settling' down into your jobs nicely. Now," she added, her voice growing from pleasant to dead serious. "To business."

Naruto and Hinata sat up straight at Sorami's new tone of voice. Sleep was wiped from their thoughts as Sorami reached into her pocket and brought forth a scroll, laying it upon the table and spreading it out.

"What is this?" Naruto asked, eyeing the scroll's many scribbles.

"This," Sorami said, "is the list of suspects that might have ties to Orochimaru or information on his movements and or whereabouts. It's not the same one I showed you when we got here. I've revised this one."

Naruto and Hinata gaped at the scroll. Hundreds of names were upon it, followed by descriptions of the person, their reason for being suspected, and their daily movements.

Naruto was aghast-with so many names, how in the world were they going to find the true spies? Practically the whole village had their names on this list!

Hinata, on the other hand, was utterly amazed. In sixth months, Sorami had been able to compile all this information, and even narrow down the suspects to a few hundred. And it was so thorough as to include their daily activities as well! Hinata looked at Sorami with a newfound respect-there was a reason why Tsunade-sama had chosen Sorami for this mission, and Hinata was beginning to see why.

"But, that's not all I have. As a ninja, I trust my instincts, and my instincts have helped me narrow down the list even further. This village is filled with criminals, but the ones we're looking for are people who are trying to blend in, just like us. They won't be involved in too many ugly affairs, they won't stick their nose into your business, and they watch everything," Sorami explained.

Naruto nodded, pretending to care. All he wanted was for this mission to finally be over and to save Sasuke. His friend needed him, but he was stuck in this village... still, it was something he had to do, so Naruto feigned interest in Sorami's words.

"So I looked over everyone's data and categorized them into likely suspects and unlikely suspects. Then I looked further into each category and settled on three suspects who I believe might be in league with Orochimaru."

Hinata's eyes widened, the pure white shining. Her contacts had been removed when she had arrived home, and her eyes now gazed in awe at Sorami.

Naruto gasped. Three names? THREE? This mission might work out with that kinda number! There would be enough time to figure out which of these guys was the spy!

Hinata knew it wouldn't be that simple. In the event that Sorami's intuition had led her astray, the suspects they investigated could turn out to be nothing more than average villagers, and worse, the spies might pick up on any abnormal behavior the undercover ninja exhibited in their investigation of the suspects. Things could take a drastic turn for the worse with just one false move. From here on out, the mission would be even harder.

"Don't get your hopes up, kids. This could be a false alarm, and we don't want Orochimaru's spies noticing us poking our noses around. We'll hafta trod carefully in order to figure out who, if any of these guys, is in contact with Orochimaru," Sorami said. As she said this, she pulled another scroll from her pocket, this one much smaller, and laid it atop the first scroll. "These are the names of the three suspects, their photos, and every available scrap of information on them that I could find."

Naruto and Hinata leaned forward in their chairs to read the scroll. Naruto glanced over all of the names and began wondering who the spy was. It's gotta be this guy, he reasoned, for that particular man had a very suspicious name. Then again, this guy had a suspicious face... But wait! Maybe it was that guy! Yea, it has to be this guy! Naruto had seen this guy somewhere before... But wait, he KNEW this other guy! That was...

Hinata read the first name and her mouth dropped. "M-Mr. Hayate is on this list!" Hinata was surprised. Mr. Hayate was their supervisor at the bakery, and though he was stern, he was also very kind. He was one of the last people Hinata would have suspected.

"Yup," Sorami said as she plucked another grape into her hand. "He seems like a great guy, but that just means he's doing his job. When I moved in he wasn't always so nice, and he disappears a lot. His movements are very difficult to track once he disappears-he knows how to hide his tracks."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, when you put it that way, he really does seem suspicious. But the guy who I think is the most suspicious is-"

"Oh! S-Sorami-San, th-this man is s-someone we met at the b-bakery! He comes in e-every day at three t-t-to buy some s-sweetbread on the w-way home!" Hinata exclaimed, pointing to another man.

It was then that Naruto saw something odd. It wasn't very noticeable, but he thought he saw Sorami freeze, her shoulders and mouth becoming very tense, and he saw something in her eyes flash for just a second. It was too quick to identify, but Naruto thought he saw a look of apprehension cross her face...or perhaps it was anger? Too late now, though, for the strange expression had disappeared, and Sorami was chewing on her grapes and explaining again.

"Akira. Again, a nice man you wouldn't want to suspect. He was here before I got here, though he's only been here for a few months longer than me. He works at my job, so I've kept an eye on him. He's an average worker, but spies try not to stand out. What makes him suspicious is his monthly venture outside the village, to 'visit his grandfather just outside the village gates.' I tried to track him once, and not only did he evade me, but when I finally caught his trail it lead twenty miles out of here-a distance that no one but a trained ninja could travel with such speed as he did-and that certainly isn't 'just outside the village gates'. He's also been talking to me a lot recently, so it might be that he suspects me of being on his tail. He's been pretty interested in you two, so I know he's wary about newcomers," Sorami said. For a moment she seemed about to explain more, but then she threw a handful of grapes into her mouth and gestured for them to continue.

It hit Naruto. He knew where he had seen this face before! "Hey, hey, this guy, this Goro, he's always walking by the bakery on his way home! I caught him staring at Hinata the other day as he walked by, so I..." Naruto's voice trailed off as he blushed. He knew his behavior might not have been the smartest move, especially if that guy was a spy. But it had seemed the right thing to do at the time...

"What did you do, Naruto?" Sorami asked. Hinata was too embarrassed to say anything after hearing that Naruto had noticed a man staring at her. And Sorami had a sneaking suspicion that whatever Naruto had done next hadn't been a good thing. "Naruto...!" she began, her tone growing angry as he sat in silence.

"I...well, it's not like I hurt him or anything. I just... I gave him the finger and did this, and then this..." Naruto said, then demonstrated: a brandished fist and then a face with his tongue sticking out.

Hinata blushed even deeper, and Sorami's head fell into her hands. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or be angry. Naruto's movements probably cleared him of suspicion -a spy would never exhibit such stupid behavior- but it might have also offended the suspect. It wouldn't do to make enemies.

"I'll hafta include that in the report when we finish this, Naruto," Sorami muttered.

Naruto blushed, but he shrugged. Back to the subject at hand. "So, when are we gonna see what they're up to?" he asked.

Sorami leaned back in her chair, the bag of grapes finally empty on the table before her. "Well, now we hafta see what they do. Most spies work either in daylight or night, and in this town, working under the cover of night is best. Nobody thinks much of people wandering. You haven't seen the village square at night-all you've seen are some back roads in the nicer area of town. The town is crawling with thugs and thieves and people like that at night, so it won't be out of place for them to wander around... Or for us to watch their movements."

"E-excuse me, S-Sorami-San, b-b-but aren't you afraid th-that they m-might n-n-notice us?" Hinata asked timidly. Hinata knew that she was not the best ninja, but her ability to hide and to become invisible had been honed since she was a small girl. But she knew that stronger ninja would be able to notice her following-in fact, it was easy to notice when you were being tailed if you knew what to look for.

"Well, in all honesty, Hinata-Chan, yeah, I'm real worried. Not about them noticing me, though. Jonin are trained to do this type of stuff. But you two... I'm not sure I want you two tailing anyone just yet. Even though earlier I said it wasn't uncommon to find people walking in the streets late at night, I want you two to be familiar with the village's layout... And I also want the spies to be familiar with your movements as well. If they see you taking a midnight stroll every night, you'll soon just be another villager to them. You'll blend in," Sorami said.

Hinata blinked. "B-but, Sorami-San, w-wouldn't that make it e-easier for them to n-n-notice if w-we w-were watching th-them?" she asked.

Naruto frowned. "Yeah, wouldn't that make it easier for them if they caught onto us?"

Sorami sighed. "That's why I want you guys to establish a routine first before you start spying on them. I want them to be able to investigate your movements now, when they're suspicious of you, and find that you guys are simply taking a late-night stroll through the village. It's a reasonable excuse-you two are runaway Nins from Suna, so of course you'd want to maintain your health. And since you won't be spying on them yet, the spies won't find any unusual behavior from you."

Naruto frowned. "So lemme see if I got what you're saying. You mean that if we take a walk together every night, Orochimaru's spies will get used to us, and when we really DO start spying on 'em, they'll think we're just taking our usual walk?"

Sorami beamed. "Yes, Naruto! That's exactly what I'm saying!"

Hinata smiled. Naruto was shining now, here in this room, right in front of her. He had always said he would become a great ninja, and she could see that his training with Jiraiya-San had paid off. He was already thinking things through instead of rushing head-on without plans, a trait that she found endearing but was reckless and-on this mission-dangerous.

"I want you to be careful, though. Like I said earlier, thugs are always walking around, and clan gangs run around claiming streets and selling drugs-don't get mixed up in any of that crap, cuz it will only make the mission harder. There's too many situations that'd bring up that would put us under scrutiny, so avoid getting into fights if you can," Sorami warned.

Hinata's brow furrowed. Were those poor, shivering children laying outside in the dust of the street the victims of the mindless fighting between gangs? Were the people of this village so cold and unfeeling as to thrust children from their homes, simply for bragging rights? Hinata shivered, for she knew the answer; it lay in the streets outside, the rank air, and the moans in the cold, silent streets.

Naruto couldn't contain a grin. "Ha!" he laughed. "As if any gangs could stop US from taking our midnight stroll! I'm gonna be the next Hokage, Sorami-Chan, so there's no way I'd let a little gang war stop me from takin' a simple WALK!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air with enthusiasm, eyes alight and twinkling.

Sorami stared at Naruto for several seconds, her eyes moving from his face to his raised hand and returning to his face again. She had heard that the kid was determined, but was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi really thinking of becoming Hokage? The gleam in his eye told her everything. Dear God, he really thought he could be Hokage.

Usually, Sorami would have laughed, but there was something about the confidence in his statement, the twinkle in his eye, and something about that grin that made her fiercely want to believe in him, to put her faith in him and stand behind him as he pursued that dream. She shook it off-that kind of thinking could wait till after this mission was over.

"Okay, Naruto-Chan, but right now we have more important issues to deal with, like, say, what time it is," Sorami said, looking at the clock on the wall. "Oh, look, it's barely seven. I think that's enough time for you two to memorize your walking route for tonight, don't you?" Sorami asked, a smirk creeping up her face.

"Eh?" Naruto asked, confusion evident upon his face. "But, Sorami-Chan, aren't you going with us?"

Sorami's smirk widened. "Oh, no, Naruto-chan. _I_ have much more important matters to deal with tonight, so I'm afraid you two will hafta wait."

Naruto's mouth dropped. How could she be abandoning them on a night like this, when it would be imperative that they not mess up this crucial phase of the plan?

Even Hinata was staring at Sorami with her mouth ajar. She knew Sorami had her reasons, but what could be more important than the beginning of their reconnaissance? Was Sorami-San going to sleep while they went out, or would she be helping to watch the movements of the spies?

"S-Sorami-San," Hinata asked after having mustered the courage and gathered enough of her wits about her to ask a question. "W-W-where are you g-g-going tonight?"

Sorami smiled, rolling up the scrolls before walking to her room. She returned minutes later to find the two teenagers still staring at each other in dumb shock, and she couldn't contain a giggle when they fixed those confused eyes on her.

She placed the map of the village she had retrieved upon the table and hummed a tune to herself as she highlighted their route in bright yellow. She pushed the map towards Hinata and picked up the empty bag of grapes.

She headed towards the door, tossing the grapes out as she went. When she reached the door, she turned so that they could see half of her face, the smirk growing even wider.

"I, dear Hinata-Chan, have a date." She then performed her usual hand seals, opened the door, and left.

~End Chapter V~

**Author's Comments: **Well, there you are. From here on begins the fun part. Please tell me what you think of my story, what you liked, what you didn't like, what worked and what didn't, what you'd like to see more of, what you think of it so far, or simply share an opinion—I would appreciate it very much! ^_^ Chapter V will hopefully be posted soon-I know this is a short chapter based on dialogue, so I will try to make up for that in the next chapter! Action goodiness, anyone?


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: I must apologize for many errors involving strange misplaced words-I write all my chapters on my I-touch and edit it right before I post it, so I miss many things! I try to avoid any mistakes, but if any have evaded me, I'm very sorry about them! By the way, from here on out I will start using italics for a character's thoughts, which I've tried to avoid to challenge myself.

I would like to thank The Deidara Effect for pointing out some errors-I have gone back and fixed a few, including that one you pointed out to me in your review. Thank you for the very helpful review! I would also like to thank Sauri for your kind review-I would have replied to it, but your pm's are off. And thank you to all who reviewed for taking time out of your life! Your words were very kind, and I appreciate it ^_^

Also, thank you, the reader, for reading my story. It makes me very happy that you enjoy it enough to continue reading it!

Now, onto the story!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any part of the Naruto universe.**

**Night**

~Chapter VI~

Shadows within shadows sidled along dark alley walls, leaving soft footsteps in their wake. Bodies lay on the floor, though whether any of them were alive or dead was impossible to tell, for they lay in the shadows, hiding from those who would do the living harm, and the dead hiding from those who would recognize them, having been tossed there by their killers in order to hide the fact that they were and forever would lie still.

The chilly night air only added to the darkness of the streets; the yellow light the lampposts cast seemed glaringly out of place. Drunks lumbered home, singing obnoxious songs that penetrated the stillness around them, while thieves eyed passerby, measuring their girth and wondering who would be their next pick pocketing victim.

Then, a loud bang and a flash crossed the area, and these activities ceased as all the living bodies in the area scrambled to their feet, drunks sobered up immediately, and thieves abandoned their previous thoughts.

Another thunderous crash sounded with a blinding glare, this time followed by several screams, and an ominous crack that silenced them.

The streets emptied as everyone scurried away from the sounds, running as fast as they could.

The loud blasts were actually caused by people, though several had their faces hidden beneath masks. These people were separated into two groups, with three bodies lying on the floor between them. Two of the bodies were smoking, and a burnt smell rose from them.

One person from one group held someone by the hair, holding a blade to that someone's throat. The opposite gang seemed to be paralyzed, though their anger showed in their eyes at the sight of their rivals holding their friend hostage.

"Leave, now. This is Jinrai territory, and you have no right to be here. Two Amaya trespassers learned that tonight-don't make it be any more."

The opponents, Amaya clan members, bristled at the insult. One young man stepped forwards, commanding attention.

"You have no right to claim Amaya land as your own, you bastards. Those Amaya died defending our land, and they took down a Jinrai as well. If you take one more step, you'll suffer the consequences," he warned, his deep voice full of menace emphasizing every word he spoke.

The two men glared at each other while the groups behind them became restless. Finally, the leader of the Jinrai raised his arm holding the blade, effectively silencing his gang. He spoke, hatred spewing from his next words.

"Kill them." His blade fell, followed by the hostage's now lifeless body, and a mass of chaos ensued as both gangs rushed forward, battle cries ripping from their lips.

Weapons clashed as the Jinrai and Amaya fought, and suddenly a flash lit the sky.

An arrow of light, pure energy overflowing with power, fell from the sky, striking countless Amaya gang members. They had no time to scream, as the arrow vanished after having struck, but the air was filled with the rank scent of charred flesh.

Amaya members began chorusing a battle cry in response, and raised their hands. The Jinrai saw it coming, and several turned to flee, but it was too late-water, fast as lightning and strong as steel, flew from the palms of the Amaya, slashing through Jinrai bodies.

Exchanges like these persisted, and bodies began filling the streets, and the violence began to stretch it hand towards the surroundings as well. Buildings that had before been in good condition soon bore gaping holes in their structures, and sturdy brick walls were demolished. And throughout it all, the two clans, Amaya and Jinrai, clashed with malice in their hearts.

It was an all-out war, with two clans fighting to the death, regard for human life tossed away, buried beneath the screams and clashes and flashes of the battle in the street.

And Naruto and Hinata were caught behind a dumpster, watching in horror and terror as the two clans fought, tearing at each other's throats.

_You know,_ Naruto thought as a stray water arrow barreled into the wall opposite them, sending debris flying over their heads. Naruto pulled Hinata closer to him, shielding her from most of the rubble, and pulled her deeper into the alley, away from the fighting.

_Sorami could've mentioned that the gangs had _KEKKEIGENKAI_!_ he thought furiously as the streets lit with another lightning strike.

Naruto fumed. Even though he wasn't the smartest, even he knew that the lightning and water arrows that the two clans were using were kekkeigenkai. The fact that they were manipulating chakra without the use of hand-signs told him as much, and Naruto grimaced as a stray lightning arrow crashed into the street by their hiding place.

Meanwhile, Hinata was shivering. She had her Byakugan activated, though her contacts could only hide her white eyes and not the veins protruding around her face. She saw everything going on in the streets beyond the alley, and she couldn't contain her shivers of horror. This was what war was like, this was what true fear was. Countless bodies littering the floor, men and women screaming, blasts of lighting and water silencing screams and creating them at the same time. Terror as she'd never known filled her, for although fearing for her life was not a new sensation, it was fear for Naruto's life that tore at her now. She couldn't bear to lose him, yet he was the one shielding her from the stray arrows flying above them. She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to the wall, hoping to protect him from any more pain. _Not Naruto_, she thought. _Please, not Naruto-kun!_

Naruto let himself be dragged further from the violence, though he still kept himself in-between Hinata and stray pieces of debris. His only thoughts were to protect himself and Hinata; the Kyuubi's chakra helped to heal any cuts or bruises he sustained, so he had become a human shield to protect her.

"N-N-Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered, fear having made her forget to use his fake name, Haruto. "Y-Y-You n-need to s-s-stay back, t-too," she continued, tugging on his sleeve.

"I'll be fine, Hinata-Chan," he whispered back. "I'll protect us both."

Hinata shook her head. "N-Naruto-kun, w-w-we both n-n-need to s-stay s-safe, so y-y-you need to be b-back here, too," she whispered. _Naruto-kun, please!_ she thought, willing him to listen to her.

Lightning lit their alley and a few bodies hurtled past on the street, water arrows shooting over their heads.

Naruto and Hinata both huddled closer. Hinata tugged at his shoulder once more.

Naruto met her eyes. The contacts hid her pure white eyes, but they held no less emotion-he could see the desperation in her face as she tugged his sleeve, and something in him finally relented. Though he still kept himself in-between her and flying debris, he siddled closer to the wall.

Hinata nearly sighed in relief as he moved into a safer position. She could still see bodies flying and arrows of lightning and water crashing everywhere, but right now all she noticed was Naruto.

Her pulse began to race as she noticed how close they were, and she could feel her face heating up. Unfortunately, a large lightning arrow interrupted her brief distraction.

It was headed straight for their shelter, and judging from the way a previous one had decimated the wall opposite them, this arrow would most certainly punch through the wall. And it was aimed right at Naruto!

Reacting on instinct, Hinata grabbed Naruto and pulled him into her arms. It didn't matter now that someone might notice them running at top speed-Naruto's life was in danger. She pumped chakra to her feet and leapt.

Moments later, the lightning arrow crashed through the place they had just left. Bricks, pieces of metal, and trash flew everywhere, and though Hinata wanted to sigh in relief, there was more trouble heading their way.

Water arrows flew towards them, but they had yet to land-Hinata froze, watching the arrows approach them, unable to dodge while still in midair.

Naruto had been very surprised when Hinata had shoved his face against her chest. At first he could feel a nosebleed coming on, but when Hinata jumped into the air and their recently vacated shelter became nothing more than a literal hole-in-the-wall, he realized this was no time to marvel at Hinata's bust.

He felt Hinata tense suddenly and extricated himself from her hold as quickly as he could, only to find three water arrows headed straight for them.

Naruto had no time to think and reacted upon instinct. He pushed Hinata away from him, sending them both out of the path of the arrows.

Hinata blinked in surprise. No time to think, though.

She crashed against the street pavement. It hurt. A lot. She rolled to lessen the impact, but not in time-she continued rolling until she crashed into some crates.

_Owwwwww… _Hinata thought, moaning as panels of wood and vegetables fell around her. The fall had knocked her senseless, and she lay still for several moments until a boy's face flashed before her. _Naruto!_ she thought, and she sat up, blinking stars from her eyes as pieces of wood fell off her, and cucumbers rolled into the street.

Naruto hadn't been as fortunate as Hinata. After he had launched himself away from Hinata, he crashed against a wall. A brick wall. He fell down, crumpling to the ground as something wet and sticky rolled down the back of his head. He was left numb for several seconds, and then waves of pain crashed into him, and he moaned.

_Gaah! _he thought, then movement caught his eye. _More arrows?_ Naruto didn't care to find out, so he forced chakra to his feet and leapt across the street, where a still dazed Hinata was sitting up.

He grabbed her arm and hefted her to her feet. Another rumble and flash of light lit the street, blinding him temporarily, and several water arrows flew above their heads.

_We gotta get outta here, _Naruto thought, and this was his only thought as he lifted Hinata into his arms, bridal-style, and leapt onto a rooftop. Arrows of both water and lightning flew by them, but Naruto ran as fast as he could, leaping over many rooftops until they were out of range. Panting, he set Hinata down next to him and collapsed beside a large air vent.

Hinata sat down shakily next to him, and both panted, shivering both from the cold air and from the nervousness they had experienced.

Naruto shook his head, sweat dripping into his eyes. He had seen plenty of fights, he had seen plenty of people killed, but never had he seen such slaughter. _If this is what war is_, he thought, _then I want no part in it._ Mindless slaughter was all that those two clans were gaining in their gang wars-more bodies to add to the ones lying in the streets, more destruction of homes and families torn apart by that destruction. That sort of thing could only bring sadness and despair, and Naruto resolved to never participate in the act of war, and to take all measures possible when he became Hokage to prevent any war at all.

Hinata closed her eyes as she drew a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her Byakugan made the movement unnecessary, as she could still see almost everything around them, but she still felt like she needed to calm down. She heard Naruto taking deep breaths beside her as well, and she felt reassured that she was not the only one who felt shaken.

Several minutes passed until their breathing finally evened out.

Hinata suddenly went still, turning her head to their right slightly.

Naruto noticed, and he turned to look in the direction she was facing. It didn't take long to see. The moon lay in that direction, its soft light gently caressing everything in its path.

Until a figure blocked its light, followed by another silhouetted frame. Naruto froze. _Ninja_, he thought.

They jumped from building to building, in the graceful way that told Naruto without a doubt that those two figures were ninja. And they were headed to the building he and Hinata were on. He edged behind the vent and pulled Hinata close, glad for the coverage the shadows provided them with.

Hinata continued to watch the approaching figures. They weren't coming from the direction of the fighting, so they weren't clan members, at least. But that didn't mean they weren't enemies.

The figures landed silently on the building, in a crouching position. They started talking, too far away for Naruto or Hinata to make out words, and the noises from the clans' fighting below muffled the sound of their voices.

One figure sat down, legs dangling off the side of the building. The other hesitated, then followed.

Hinata saw that one of them was a man, while the other was a female. However, by the way their chakra was moving through their bodies, Hinata could tell they were both in henge-forms, so she couldn't tell what their faces truly looked like.

Naruto watched Hinata. Her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed as she stared through the vent towards the figures. He felt something akin to amusement as he noticed the crease between her eyebrows, and the way she bit her lip.

_She must really be concentrating_, he thought. Then he saw Hinata's eyes widen, and he peered over a corner to see what made her surprised.

They were hugging. The figures were hugging. And even Naruto, though he had no experience with relationships, could tell that those two were probably friends, or perhaps more than that. Their heads drew together, and suddenly Naruto realized they were about to kiss.

He shut his eyes and ducked behind the vent again. _That was-_

Someone gasped, and Naruto immediately knew why; his sudden withdrawal behind the vent had been too quick-the figures had noticed. He gritted his teeth in frustration, angry at himself for having moved too fast, and angry at Sorami for putting him in this situation in the first place.

Hinata knew that Naruto had ducked too quickly, and her suspicions were confirmed when one of the figures gasped and turned towards them.

Both figures were suddenly on their feet. Some words were exchanged, though Hinata could not hear the voices for the fighting several streets away.

Hinata saw chakra moving to their feet, and she pulled out a kunai in the event that the figures decided to attack them.

The figures pushed off with their feet, and were gone. Hinata gazed around at the surroundings, checking every nook and cranny to make sure they weren't anywhere near.

"N-Naruto-kun," she whispered several moments later, lowering her kunai. "Th-they're gone..."

A breath hissed out from behind Naruto's clenched teeth. His body relaxed slightly, and he put his hands to his head. "That was my fault, Hinata-chan," he whispered. "That could've been the spies for all we know, and I blew it... Crap..."

Hinata returned her kunai to its pouch and then touched Naruto lightly on the shoulder. He didn't shrink away at her touch, but made no reaction whatsoever. "I-it was m-m-my fault, t-too, N-Naruto-kun," she whispered. "I d-didn't see them coming, e-even though th-they w-were within th-the range of m-m-my Byakugan."

Naruto sighed. You're _just saying that, Hinata-Chan_, he thought. _To make me feel better. Even if it were true, it wasn't you who scared 'em off, it was me._

Hinata stood, brushing off her pants. She reached her hand out to Naruto, who seemed surprised. "N-N-Naruto-kun, w-w-we're both at f-fault, so l-l-let's not hold it against o-ourselves," she said, her voice slightly above a whisper now as she told Naruto words that had been spoken to her several to her by her Sensei.

Naruto stared at her for a few moments before a wry smile lit his face. He stretched out his arm and accepted her hand, and Hinata pulled him to his feet. He dusted off his pants as well, and then straightened, looking her directly in the eye.

"You know what, Hinata-Chan?" he asked her, a grin beginning to brighten his face.

"W-w-what, N-Naruto-kun?" she asked, a blush creeping up her neck and into her face as she saw his face gain a wolfish smile.

"I can't wait to get home. I'm gonna beat the hell outta Sorami-Chan for not telling us about the kekkeigenkai."

Hinata stared, and then a small giggle escaped her. "I th-th-think I feel th-the same w-w-way," she told him.

Naruto beamed at her. "Hehe, that's the spirit! We may've bombed the walk for tonight, and bombed our chances of catching some spies, but I think this is a special occasion, don't you?"

Hinata thought she knew where this was going. In all honesty, though, she was actually looking forward to this. "Y-y-yeah. It was d-d-definitely different from w-w-what I th-thought it would b-be," she told him. His grin was infectious-Hinata could feel one creeping onto her face even though the adrenaline was still pumping through her veins, and her heart was pounding. The events of just minutes ago still had yet to settle in, and Hinata wanted a brief reprise from the action and drama this day had held so far.

"Well, I guess I'll just hafta make some ramen when we get home, then," Naruto proclaimed. He pumped his fist in the air. "Sweet! We get to ear ramen twice today, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata giggled. "M-Maybe we can force S-S-Sorami-San to eat some th-this time," she told him.

Naruto's grin turned into a smirk, one Hinata hadn't seen since their Academy days, when Naruto was planning to pull a prank on the teacher.

"Hinata-chan," he said, "that was EXACTLY what I was thinking."

~End Chapter VI~

**Author's Comments: **I hope you enjoyed it! Unfortunately my updating schedule has become rather erratic because I don't get much time to write. And my weekend is full of social events, so I won't really be writing for a while. Sorry, but I will try to keep update whenever I get the chance! Only reason I'm able to do so now is because I'm sick... .

But, on another note, I just got Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, which I've been wanting for a LONG time, so I'll probably procrastinate by playing it. Ehehe…sorry.

Also, if you see marks like /…/ surrounding some text, please tell me, because I used that on my I-touch to remind me where to italicize things.

Anyway, thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed the story so far!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I'm so sorry this update took so long! I actually had it finished a week after I posted the previous chapter, but my life has been so crazy since starting school that actually finding time to post this was practically impossible! I just edited it today, so if you notice any mistakes, please tell me! Also, thanks to all who have read this and/or reviewed! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any part of the Naruto universe.**

**Night**

~Chapter VII~

Naruto and Hinata had forgotten one thing, and that one thing was becoming a bit of a problem.

It wasn't that they hadn't finished their walk-no, that was a minor detail that they could fix at any time, and it wouldn't put their mission in jeopardy. The problem they now faced was literally facing them, obstructing their return home.

It was the door to Sorami's house, and they had no clue as to how to open it. Naruto had already tried to pry it open, he had procured a paperclip ( a utensil the likes of which no prankster would leave home without or else renounce their title as jokester), and to no avail. Even though Naruto had picked countless locks before on his pranking endeavors, this lock was sealed shut. Ten minutes into his attempt at picking the lock, and Hinata had told him something that he had forgotten.

"H-H-Haruto-kun," Hinata said, using his alias. "S-S-Sorami-San has seals u-up, r-r-remember?"

Naruto stared at her as he realized he had wasted ten minutes picking at a lock when it was protected by Sorami's jutsu. He slapped his forehead.

"Gaaah, you're right, Hi-I mean, Miyako-chan," he said, almost forgetting to use her alias. "Geez, and we don't even know when she's gonna be getting home... Awww, man, this sucks," he groaned.

Hinata shifted her feet, blushing slightly. Even at a time like this, when Naruto was slightly irritated, had brown hair that was not spiky, and had just spent the last ten minutes trying to pick a lock to no avail, Naruto looked so...handsome.

_If only I could make him feel better…_she thought. Then it came to her.

"H-H-Haruto-kun," she said, and he looked at her. Ignoring her suddenly racing pulse, she continued. "I th-think there's a-a n-n-noodle restaurant a f-few blocks d-d-down." In fact, Hinata was sure of it-she and Naruto had passed by it several times on their way to and from work this week, and as she remembered it because they said they were open all day and night. She had been skeptical that they were really open for twenty-four hours when she walked past, but now Hinata was hoping that they did as they advertised.

"Eh?" Naruto's stomach growled. "He he, well I guess I am kinda hungry...And we have some money… Awrite, let's go!"

Hinata and Naruto walked down the streets, trotting down the same road with very different thoughts running through their heads.

_I-I'm going to eat at a restaurant with N-N-Naruto-kun_, Hinata thought, a blush already heating her face as a sudden thought struck her. _I-is this considered a... d-date?_

_Ramen, ramen, ramen~_ Naruto thought. _Boy, I sure am glad Hinata-chan remembered about this place! Otherwise we'd still be stuck outside of the house waiting for Sorami to come let us in!_

Naruto turned his head to look at Hinata. He had originally planned to thank her, but all thoughts were wiped from head when he saw her.

_W-wow..._

The moonlight shone on her violet hair, which shimmered as a pond, rippling as the two walked, and her bangs reflected the moon's soft glow.

Naruto had never seen anything so beautiful. Back home, he had always thought Sakura's hair was pretty, but it was nothing compared to Hinata's hair now.

_Beautiful..._ Naruto thought, and suddenly he had the strange urge to reach out his hand and run it through her shining hair. He shook himself. Where had that come from? He berated himself. _Stop being a pervert like Jiraiya-Sensei!_

Hinata stopped and Naruto copied the action.

Hinata was surprised-loud music was issuing from above the noodle shop, and upon closer inspection she could see lights of many colors shining through the upstairs windows.

_Sakai Late-Night Club... And Noodle-Town... Oh, so that's why it's open all night..._ Hinata thought after reading the sign. There was a midnight club above the restaurant, and several people milled about inside the restaurant. _I-I guess they got h-hungry from all that dancing..._she thought as she and Naruto entered.

Naruto blinked. Though it was a far cry from being full, the restaurant he and Hinata had just entered had a few customers. From what he could tell with a quick glance, several of them were drunk and were just taking a break from the dancing upstairs. Naruto didn't really care-he wasn't here to drink sake or go clubbing. He was here for one thing... He glanced at the menu, looking for the word...

_Ramen!_he thought excitedly, having spotted it on the menu. He had a bit of cash from his job (the little money left over from what Sorami had confiscated, telling them it was necessary to pay the bills), but he frowned when he saw the price.

_Man, Ichiraku's was never this expensive..._Naruto had half a mind to go to the manager and start haggling for lower price, but a quiet tug on his shirt made him stop.

Hinata was tugging his shirt, and she saw something in her eyes. Fear? But those eyes weren't directed towards him, they were directed at two customers quietly conversing in a corner...

Naruto refrained from crying out the word 'pervert' at the top of his lungs. However, that is not to say that he refrained from crying out at the top of his lungs.

"YOU!" he cried, finger pointed at one of the two customers.

The two men looked at him, and recognition flashed in both their eyes. Naruto huffed and turned away from them, once more returning his gaze to the menu. "That damn pervert..." he muttered.

Goro, the suspect who had been staring at Hinata, sighed. He shook his head and returned to his conversation, pushing his finished meal to the side of the table.

"H-Haruto-kun..." Hinata whispered with a bit of shock and exasperation. She glanced back at the men, who had forgotten Naruto's disturbance and were deep in conversation once more. Goro seemed to be listening to the young man, who had dark hair and wore a dark blue jacket with matching pants.

Hinata narrowed her eyes. _Something about those clothes..._

Her breath caught, and she hurriedly turned to face the counter, where Naruto was fishing around in his wallet –was that a frog?—for money.

Hinata took a calming breath. _I need to stay calm about this,_ she thought, and she reached into her pouch and pulled out some money. _I can't act as though I feel uncomfortable in any way... I can't let him know that I recognized him...__  
><em>  
>Hinata and Naruto payed for their ramen and sat down at a table. Hinata took a seat so that her back was turned to the men in the corner.<p>

Naruto clapped his hands together, ready to eat, and offered thanks. "Itadakimasu!" he said, licking his lips. He pulled his chopsticks apart and had just begun to slurp up some ramen when he heard an almost inaudible whisper.

"N-Naruto-kun. That man is the one from the rooftop."

Naruto froze. Hinata had to be really freaked. She had barely stuttered, she was whispering as quietly as her had ever heard her, and she has used his real name. And if what she said was true…He let his gaze wander over to the men.

Now it was Goro who was talking, moving his hands with wild gestures and talking in hushed tones. He seemed to be explaining something, but then again, maybe he was just talking.

_Or maybe he's talking about Orochimaru's plans..._Naruto thought as he slurped noodles angrily.

So the guy opposite Goro was the guy from the rooftop_. I'm surprised he hasn't recognized us... But those two ninja were sure in a hurry, so maybe they didn't get a good look at us...?_ It didn't really matter. All that really mattered was the fact that Goro was here talking to a ninja under a henge. _They're very suspicious..._ Naruto thought. _One of them HASTA be Orochimaru's spy!_ And then Naruto was struck by another thought. _W-what if they're BOTH Orochimaru's spies?_

Naruto was suddenly very uneasy, and slurped his noodles down with significantly less enthusiasm than he had with his first bite.

Hinata knew that Naruto had heard her when she saw him glance past her. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to be looking at them in such an obvious way, but she could hear Goro's voice talking. She couldn't make out the words, but he seemed to be talking with a sense of urgency and confidence.

Then she recognized a name that made her drop her chopsticks.

"Hi- Miyako-chan! Are you all right?" Naruto asked, reaching to grab her shoulders.

Was she all right? _No...But it's not me I'm worried about!_Hinata thought. She chastised herself-she had lost her composure as a ninja and the men in the corner might have noticed. If Hinata had just given them a reason to suspect that she and Naruto were more than just a couple on a date...

"Ehh!" Naruto said, looking out the window. "Quick, Hinata-chan, we gotta box our stuff!" he exclaimed.

Hinata groaned inwardly as Naruto cornered the worker at the counter and demanded boxes for their leftover food-not that Naruto had much to box.

He had used her real name. And from the suddenly quiet Goro in the corner, she was not the only one to have noticed Naruto's slip-up.

She tried to keep her heartbeat under control, to refrain from her old habit of tapping her fingers together. _I-I can't l-let them know that I'm n-n-nervous. Hopefully G-Goro just stopped t-talking and it was a-a coincidence that he p-paused right when N-Naruto-kun said my n-name...H-Hopefully..._

As if to contradict her suspicion, Goro began talking again as though nothing had happened.

Hinata wanted to sigh in relief, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Goro had noticed...

Naruto rushed back to their table with their boxes in tow. "We gotta hurry, Miyako-chan, Auntie-Sorami just walked by," he said as he stuffed their remaining ramen into the boxes. He closed them and hefted them into one arm, and proceeded to trot out of the restaurant. Hinata scrambled after him.

_Good! W-We need to t-tell S-Sorami-San about th-this,_she thought.

They ran towards home and just managed to catch up with Sorami as she opened the door.

"Oh, hey you guys. I thought you'd be inside by now-IS THAT FOOD YOU HAVE? YOU WENT TO A RESTAURANT? YOU BETTER NOT'VE BLOWN ALL THE MONEY I GAVE YOU!" she yelled.

Naruto and Hinata shared a nervous glance. They had, in fact, blown most of their money on their little midnight venture.

"B-but... That's not fair... We wouldn't have even needed to go eat if it hadn't been for you locking us out!" Naruto whined.

Sorami blinked, her anger suddenly vaporized. "I didn't teach you how to get past the barriers...?" she asked.

Naruto and Hinata shook their heads.

"Oh," she said, then gestured for them to walk in. "Remind me to teach you guys so that doesn't happen again," she said after she closed the door and performed said seals.

Naruto retreated to the fridge and dumped the boxes of ramen there before running upstairs to change. He threw his shoes at the foot of his tatami mat and stuffed his socks inside them, wiggling his now-free toes. He grabbed a shirt from the closet and pulled his off, only to have Hinata walk in at that very moment.

And pass out.

_Awww man, not again!_Naruto thought as he rushed to her side to check her vital signs, the shirt forgotten on the floor. Besides a slight temperature that he suspected was normal for Hinata when she fainted, she was fine.

"You BETTER not be trying anything!" a voice cried and a sharp pain hit Naruto's head, sending him flying.

Sorami blinked, her foot still raised. "I didn't kick you that hard, did I?" she asked, a bit of concern entering her voice.

Naruto rose from the wall, which he had collided with. "What was THAT for?" he cried, rubbing the back of his head.

Sorami crossed the room and grabbed his hair, pushing his head down so she could see his neck.

"Naruto-kun," she began. "Why is there blood all along your back?"

Naruto sprang from her grip, rubbing his head. "We ran into some clan members fighting, and I-"

"You WHAT?" Sorami cried.

"We didn't mean to-"

"What did you do? You didn't FIGHT them, did you?" Sorami yelled at him.

Naruto paused. Was that fear he detected in Sorami's voice? "No," he said. "Nothing like that. They were fighting and we were hiding, but some of their stray arrow-things came at us, and so we had to leave real quick," he explained.

Sorami bit her lip. "Are you both okay? Aside from your obvious head injury, I mean," she said, looking at Hinata, who was beginning to regain consciousness.

"Y-Yeah," Naruto replied. Her kick had hurt worse than his smacking against a wall earlier. How strong WAS this woman, exactly? Then again, Sakura's punches hurt even more than Sorami's kick, so it was probably just some super-strength power that girls had.

His thoughts began to wander... _Wonder if Hinata gets that strong when she's angry, too..._A strange image appeared before him of Hinata brandishing her fist in his face, eyes burning with anger, and Naruto unconsciously shivered-for some reason, that image terrified him.

"N-Naruto-kun? S-Sorami-San?"

Naruto and Sorami both returned their focus to a groggy Hinata, who had just sat up. Naruto rushed to her side and helped her to her feet, then guided her to sit on the bed.

"Are you okay, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

She nodded, and she felt a blush rising to her face as she noticed how close she was to Naruto.

_Again!_ she thought. _I-I fainted AGAIN! _She felt so so embarrassed and disappointed in herself. Why couldn't she do the one thing she wanted, which was to be by Naruto's side-CONCIOUS?

_Oh,_ she thought as she remembered why she had passed out. _T-That's why..._

Naruto still had yet to out a shirt on. Hinata noticed that he was wearing a beautiful necklace with a blue crystal on the end. She had never noticed that before...

Then she remembered something else, and she gasped.

"Hinata-chan, are you okay?" Naruto cried.

"Ahh... N-Naruto-kun, I-I'm fine... S-Sorami-San, we n-need to tell you a-about what h-happened tonight!" Hinata said urgently.

Sorami dismissed this with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry, Hinata-chan, Naruto-chan already told me about you guys gettin involved in that clan gang-war. Don't sweat it, I-"

"N-No, S-Sorami-San. Th-there's more..."

Sorami paused. "More?" she asked, seriousness having entered her voice.

"Y-yes," Hinata said, nodding. "W-we saw two ninja on a roof once we escaped from the clans. They seemed very close, but they noticed Naruto-kun and ran away. We hurried home after that, b-but since we couldn't get in, I-I suggested we go eat...I knew N-Naruto-kun liked ramen, and I had seen the sign saying it was open a-all night..." she began to blush and fidget.

Sorami wanted to facepalm. _She's getting off-topic..._

"What happened next?" Sorami asked, hoping to nudge Hinata back to reality.

Hinata shook her head, blinking several times. She had realized her mistake of getting off-topic, and hurried to make up for it.

"W-when we got there, one of the ninja f-from the r-rooftop and Goro were talking. I- I couldn't hear what they were saying m-most of the time, b-but..." Hinata hesitated. Should she go on?

Sorami squinted at her. "Go on, Hinata-chan," she said, all humor gone from her voice.

Hinata looked Sorami in the eye, and Sorami saw fear mixed with curiosity before Hinata opened her mouth to speak.

"Th-they mentioned y-you, Sorami-San."

~End Chapter VII~

**Author's Comments: **Sorry about the long wait! I had this written so long ago, but I didn't get around to editing it until recently . I'm so sorry, guys! Thanks for being patient! If there are still things that don't make sense, it's probably because it's been so long since you read this story, and I'm very sorry about that! But I hope you will continue to update, even though my updating schedule will be very erratic this year! I have a LOT of school things going on, with a concert this week, and a concert next week, and then I have to start learning more music, and I have tests galore! Not to mention daily reading! But you all have that, too, so I can't use it as an excuse anymore! I will try to update as much as I can, but please realize that my updating schedule will continue to be very wacky until summer begins again! Again, I'm sorry, but I hope you continue enjoying Night!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** I would like to thank Myomi-chan, Fox Alder, Sauri, The Deidara Effect, and XoStarcicleoX for their reviews so far! You have all been kind and have inspired me to write more! Thank you!  
><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any part of the Naruto universe.<strong>

**Night**

~Chapter VIII~

Sorami tensed. "Who were these men?"

"O-one of them w-was Goro...A-a-and the other one was under a h-henge, s-so I don't know wh-what he looked like, b-but he was one of the t-two ninja we saw o-o-on the roof," Hinata said.

Sorami took a deep breath. She seemed to be judging something.

"Did you hear what they were talking about?" she asked.

Hinata shook her head, tapping her fingers together. "N-No, I-I'm sorry, Sorami-San..."

Naruto looked at Sorami. She was in deep thought, and she opened her mouth, like she was about to say something, but closed it again.

She shook her head. "I'll hafta include this in the report to Tsunade..." she muttered. Then she looked up and her eyes fixed on Naruto. She crossed the room and began tugging at his hair.

"Ouch!" Naruto cried as her hand ran over a tender spot on his scalp.

"Aha! Is this where you got hurt? That's weird, it's not..." Sorami trailed off. _If there was a cut here, it's gone..._

Sorami stared at the boy, and then it hit her.

_It's the Kyuubi. Damn, that's useful... _she thought as she poked the red area of his head, provoking another cry of pain from Naruto. His healing was astounding-already, the cut was gone...

Sorami then turned to Hinata, who was still sitting on the bed. Hinata looked to be in deep thought. Unfortunately for Hinata, her thoughts were interrupted by Sorami grabbing her arms and lifting the sleeves, turning her arms over to look at them.

A hiss issued from between Sorami's teeth. _That's gonna bruise_, she thought. "Hinata," she began. "Where else did you get hurt?"

Hinata made a faint gesture that vaguely indicated herself, and Sorami wasn't sure if the girl didn't know where she was hurt or if the girl was trying to say she was hurt everywhere. Being the pessimist that she was, she decided that it was probably the latter.

"Awrite, I know you know some basic healing jutsu, so you're gonna hafta start on that in a sec. Naruto," she said, turning to him. "Go shower. You're covered in blood, and just changing your shirt won't get rid of the blood that's on your neck."

Naruto opened his mouth to point out that it wasn't his fault he was covered in blood, but then he realized that, for some strange reason, he didn't want Hinata to hafta sleep in the same room as someone who was covered in blood. So he grabbed some clothes and went out the door, closing it behind him.

"Okay, Hinata. What exactly happened that got you covered in bruises?" Sorami asked.

Hinata explained that Naruto had pushed them out of the way of stray arrows, and while he had smashed into a wall, she had landed on the ground and momentum had pushed her into a crate, shattering it. Painfully.

Usually, Sorami would've laughed. But for some reason, when it came to Naruto and Hinata's injuries, Sorami got a very solemn look about her. Hinata wondered why...

Sorami had Hinata take her shirt off and healed the already-swelling bruises.

"There," Sorami said as Hinata quickly put her shirt back on. "Everything else should be within your reach, so you can heal the rest of your bruises. Sorry if your back's a little sore in the morning-my healing jutsu aren't anywhere near medic-level, and bruises are about all I can heal. I can't heal anything that's broken..."

Hinata thanked her, but Sorami waved it away. She had a very distant look in her eyes as she told Hinata not to worry, and to try to avoid being anywhere near the clans' fighting.

Hinata wondered why Sorami seemed so far away, as though she were reliving something of her past.

"Ummm...S-Sorami-San?" she asked quietly.

Sorami's eyes lost their distant glaze and focused on Hinata. "Uh, what, Hinata?" she asked.

"I-I didn't w-w-want N-Naruto-kun to hear, b-b-but...ummm..." Hinata hesitated. She didn't want Naruto to get in trouble, and yet she knew that, no matter what she had told herself earlier, Goro had heard Naruto speak her name. It was a dangerous slip, and not only did he say it in front of Goro, but the mysterious ninja as well.

"What don't you want Naruto-kun to hear?" Sorami asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

Hinata took a deep breath. She had to tell Sorami. She _had_to. And yet...

_I-I don't want Naruto-kun to be punished for his mistake..._

"Hinata..." Sorami said, a harder edge in her voice as she tried to pry the unfinished sentence from Hinata.

Hinata sighed. "N-N-Naruto-kun...said... I-in the restaurant, h-he said... hesaidmyname..." she said, the last bit rushed and mumbled so softly that Sorami wasn't sure she heard correctly.

Sorami _hoped_she hadn't heard correctly.

"What did he do?" Sorami asked, crossing her arms, this time a bit of nervousness entering her voice.

Hinata shut her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "H-he said m-m-my name..."

Sorami uncrossed her arms, and took a step forward. "Did they hear?" she asked, knowing she didn't need to clarify she was asking about the 'spies' for Hinata to answer her question. Something in her stomach was fluttering, and Sorami hoped that Hinata wasn't about to confirm that the spies did indeed hear.

Unfortunately for Sorami...

"Y-y-yes..." Hinata squeaked. Her eyes were still closed, and she looked to be in pain.

Sorami groaned and sat down on the bed next to Hinata-she couldn't stand after hearing that. "He didn't use your full name, did he?" she asked in a strained voice.

"N-no, he just used m-my first name," Hinata said.

Sorami raised her hands and began to rub her temples. _Well, on the bright side, they won't know that her last name is Hyuuga, and they probably wouldn't suspect too much. The kids __**are**__ posing as runaway Nins, after all, so fake names wouldn't be too unexpected..._

"Did both spies hear you?" Sorami asked. They probably had...

To Sorami's surprise, the girl shook her head and opened her eyes to look at Sorami. "N-no. Only G-Goro heard... W-well," she amended, "th-the other spy m-might have heard... B-b-but Goro was the o-o-only one who reacted..."

Sorami opened her mouth, but the young girl continued and answered her unasked question.

"H-he looked startled, and he s-started looking at me with... Ummm... I-it looked like suspicion..." Hinata said, her fingers tapping furiously.

Sorami stood up, dazed. "Crap," she said. "I need to tell Tsunade-sama..."

_This report just keeps getting worse and worse,_Sorami thought as she wobbled to the door.

"Y-you're okay other than the bruises, right?" she asked, her hand on the doorknob.

Hinata nodded. "Y-yes."

"And... Naruto-kun didn't get hurt anywhere else?"

Hinata had actually been wondering the same thing earlier, but she knew that if Naruto had any other injuries, they would only be minor cuts or scratches that Hinata could heal after having healed her own bruises.

Besides, for some reason, Hinata wanted to be the one to heal any injuries he had.

"H-he's fine," she said. _Or, at least,_ she added in her head. _He __**will**__ be._

Sorami heaved an exhausted sigh, and suddenly she wanted to be alone.

"I'll be in my room. The only bedroom downstairs," she told Hinata, even though the girl had seen Sorami enter it before. Sorami had a faraway look in her eyes again, and Hinata remembered something her cousin Neji had once told her a long time ago...

_**"You averted your own eyes...glancing towards the upper left. It signaled your recall of a past experience...one that brought you pain..."**_

Sorami was doing that right now, her eyes glazed over with that distant look one gets when gazing at the past through memories.

_What happened to Sorami?_Hinata asked herself, puzzled. She did not know the answer. Pain, she knew that. It had obviously made Sorami upset, for she was retiring immediately and had even added the -Kun suffix to Naruto's name. And for it to upset Sorami, one of the happiest people Hinata knew, it had to be big.

Was it really the events of tonight that had upset her? Or were the events of tonight just reminders of a much more scarring event from days long past?

"A-are you okay, Sorami-San?" she asked, suddenly feeling as though she should wrap Sorami in her arms and rock her to sleep like Hinata's mother had done to her long ago when she would cry after having received an injury.

Sorami opened the door and started to shake her head, then stopped. She looked back at Hinata, a sad smile on her face.

"You guys are okay, so yes, I'm fine. Sorry. I just gotta be alone for a little while," she said. Her eyes were strangely shiny, and a dismayed Hinata realized why as Sorami closed the door behind her and rushed down the stairs, sniffing quietly.

Sorami was crying.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sorami shut the door behind her and leaned against it, sliding to the floor as her shoulders began to shake.

_**A cold, dark forest sprawled before her. She shivered as a thick wetness slid down in front of her, the moonlight making it appear black. But she knew better-red, red as death. Blood.**_

_**And then the silhouette in front of her looked back, mouth parting.**_

_**"S-Sorami... Don't ever..."**_

_**But those words would never form a full sentence, as the one who uttered it was never able to transcribe his thoughts into words.**_

_**Red. Everywhere. A thick, heavy substance flew from all sides as countless kunai flew into the body before her, and it fell, never to speak again.**_

_**Sorami stood there, shivering, her back against a tree, terrified. Fear gripped her and she couldn't move, paralyzed, frozen, she couldn't even scream as her friend thudded against the forest floor, crunching leaves and staining them forever red.**__**  
><strong>_  
>Sorami cried into her hands, the stress and events of the day rekindling memories she would never forget.<p>

It was strange that these two kids reminded her of her old team. But the similarities were there, and though Sorami knew the situation was entirely different, the memories spewed forth just the same, ignoring Sorami's silent plea to stop.

Naruto's head had been injured in the same spot, and Hinata looked so much like...

_** Figures approached her, tall men twice her size. She tried to back up, only to realize that she was already hugging the tree for dear life, facing her opponents only as a mouse faces a cat in a corner-trapped, and unable to escape.**_

_**She watched in horror as one man pushed his way towards her, lifting her chin and staring at her eyes. He nodded and then reached into his pack.**_

_**He never grabbed what he was reaching for-a kunai slammed into his head.**_

_**More red stained her vision. Red, everywhere. The clash of steel on steel rang in her ears. Bodies fell to the ground and Sorami could only watch.**_

_**She watched as her only remaining teammate screamed something, then realized her friend was calling for help. Calling her name, crying for Sorami to help as two ninja trapped her against a tree.**_

_**"Sorami!"**_

_**Kunai flashed and another body hit the forest floor, this body with an all-too-familiar face...**_

_**Her friends were dead, and Sorami had done nothing to help them. Her Sensei was still fighting, and Sorami could still do nothing. She was at the mercy of helplessness, of paralyzing fear...**_

_**And then her Sensei fell and Sorami could do nothing but scream.**_

_**"Sorami," her Sensei said. "Sorami..."**_

_**"Sorami," her fallen comrades had all spoken before they each fell to the ground.**_

_**Sorami. Sorami. Sorami...**__**  
><strong>_  
>A high-pitched, wailing noise brought Sorami back to the present and she leapt to her feet. Her ears shuddered as the sound issued again, but this time she recognized it for what it was... Or what it was <em>supposed<em>to be.

"Afureru hito de nigiwau hachigatsumatsu no omatsuri..."

Sorami laughed a halfhearted laugh and wiped tears from her eyes, though her eyes still burned with tears unshed and images of the past still flickered before her.

Naruto was singing.

Sorami resisted the urge to clap her hands over her ears at the terrible sound. It wasn't that he had a bad voice-in fact, Sorami was sure that the girl upstairs would probably be swooning at the moment because of the sound. No, he had a very nice voice...

_He is __**not**__ a tenor, but he definitely __**is**__ tone-deaf,_she thought as he began to sing a different song.

Now that he sang a different song, his voice was much smoother, much richer-Sorami sighed at the sound as he sang a calming lullaby. Or at least, it sounded like a lullaby she had once heard, but when she listened to the words, she realized that it wasn't that song-in fact, Naruto had just switched into a different key and was still singing the same song.

She sighed and began humming along, ignoring the fact that Naruto switched keys again and repeated the first verse with some interesting combinations of notes. A calming sensation settled over her, and she let it overtake her as she listened to Naruto's singing.

After a while, Sorami went to her mirror and slapped her face. She wiped the leftover tears from her face and eyes and grimaced at the puffy red eyes staring back at her. Then a slight smile appeared on her face.

_They're safe, and I know my old friends and Sensei wouldn't want me to still be crying about their deaths. I know I can protect Naruto and Hinata-I have to._

Sorami returned to her bed and reached under her pillow, pulling forth a picture of her old genin team.

There she was, in the middle, a frown on her face as her Sensei smiled and whispered from the corner of her mouth that Sorami needed to smile, too.

Her Sensei was beautiful, with long, brown hair and dark brown eyes. As expected of a Sarutobi-her father had been the Third Hokage, and her brother Asuma was one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja who protected the Daimyo-she was a kunoichi hailing from the best, and she lived up to the reputation her name bore. Her smile seemed forced, but perhaps it was because her students weren't cooperating for the picture that she had so wanted to be perfect.

A boy with spiky blond hair stood to Sorami's left, a smirk upon his face due to the insult he had just spat at Sorami. Takeshi had never liked the fact that Sorami had a Kekkeigenkai to assist her on missions-he called it an unfair advantage, even though Sorami had yet to master it at that point in time.

Sorami smiled at the memory. She had wanted to beat the crap outta Takeshi when he had thrown that insult at her, but her Sensei's insistence to smile at the camera had kept her in check. Even if her Sensei hadn't been there, Takeshi would've beaten Sorami to a pulp anyway-Sorami relied heavily on weapons at that time, so Takeshi's wind-based attacks always knocked her kunai away. Not to mention that he trained much harder than she ever had, and because of this had much more stamina and strength than Sorami.

And then there was Emiko, the girl who was shy around others, but would prove to be a daring and brave young woman. She alone seemed to be enjoying the situation in the picture, her genuine smile lighting up the picture as she held back a giggle. Long black hair fell over her shoulders, and her bangs cell just above her eyes.

Sorami held the picture to her heart as the countless memories it had unlocked within her stirred before her eyes. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, seeing the old picture before her in her mind's eye, the image burned into her soul forevermore.

_Guys, help me to protect these kids. They're young, though they're older than you were when you died-except for you, Sensei. And... For some reason, I feel like..._

Sorami paused. What did she feel about these two kids she was in charge of, who she was putting in danger's way just by letting them roam the streets of this village, with or without her? What did she think of these kids who reminded her of her old teammates? Of these kids who had brought a ray of sunlight into her life in this village, who had filled her heart with a happiness and friendship she had long forgotten? Of these teenagers who were but children, who were ready to lay down their lives for their village if the need ever arose?

Another song screeched out above her, and Sorami grinned at Naruto's singing again. He was definitely tone-deaf.

_**"I'm gonna be the next Hokage, Sorami-Chan!"**_

Sorami wasn't sure why, but something about that boy made her want to protect him and help him achieve his dream, impossible as it may be.

And something about Hinata made Sorami want to protect the girl and help her achieve her dreams as well, and to help her gain confidence in herself.

_Ugh_ she thought as she replaced the old, tattered photo beneath her pillow._ I barely know these kids, and yet here I am acting all protective and getting all thoughtful and feeling a bit like a real Auntie-Sorami to them...__  
><em>  
>Sorami returned to the mirror and nodded with a satisfied look-her tears had dried and her eyes were no longer red and puffy.<p>

She went to the door, but paused, glancing back to her pillow, where her precious picture hid.

_And yet... I think you guys would be happy, too. And... I don't regret anything about this mission at all. Wherever it takes us... I think these kids are ready to go forward._

And then Sorami remembered the report that Tsunade-sama was expecting and wondered if she could take those words back.

_Stupid report..._she thought, wondering how the hell she was going to explain Naruto's screw-ups without making the Hokage instantly withdraw him from the mission.

_Stupid report,_ she repeated as she exited her room and headed straight to the kitchen fridge, where her beloved grapes awaited.

~End Chapter VIII~

**Author's Comments: **Well, I hope you all enjoyed it! As usual, sorry for the sporadic updates! But I hope to have Chapter 10 up sometime around Christmas. Yes, that's right! I'm up to chapter ten, but since I don't like posting chapters until I'm about 3-4 chapters ahead, you won't be seeing it for awhile. Sorry.

The OoOoOo thing was my attempt at a border. If you all know of a better way to add a border that ff doesn't delete, please tell me!

Well, I'm still not done with my KH:BBS game, but since my PSP is lost somewhere in the depths of my room, it's been put on hold. What does that mean? More time to write! Yeay!

I hope you all enjoy the story so far!

Also, I need a beta, so if anyone would like to volunteer for the post, please go ahead and do so! ^_^

Thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, the story, nada. I wish I did, but that's beside the point.

**Night**

Chapter IX~

Hinata reeled from the realization that Sorami was crying, that Sorami was _actually_crying.

Hinata was horrified-had the entire course of events that night been too much for Sorami?

Hinata tapped her fingers together. Sorami hadn't shown any signs of being upset until she had left the room-Hinata hadn't noticed any tears forming in Sorami's eyes, nor any great change of expression other than the distant look in her eyes.

Hinata shook her head; it would be best for her not to dwell on why Sorami was crying. Instead, Hinata directed her attention to how to cheer Sorami up.

After a few minutes, Hinata was still drawing blanks as to how she could cheer Sorami up, but it was then that something threw her thoughts into oblivion.

"Afureru hito de nigiwau hachigatsumatsu no omatsuri..."

Hinata felt like fainting as she heard Naruto singing. His voice was amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing...

And then Hinata couldn't lie to herself anymore, even with her love for Naruto, and had to admit that his singing at the moment was less than perfect.

Still, she couldn't keep her heart from racing at the sound, and when he changed keys to a lower range, her heart nearly burst at the sound.

Yes, he was probably tone-deaf, but his voice had a full and rich sound in that register. Yes, he sang wrong notes and yes, he sang the wrong words for that song, but Hinata could tell that Naruto was singing with passion and heart, and that he connected to every word he sang.

And then he switched keys again and Hinata began to giggle. _Oh, N-Naruto-kun,_ she thought, still giggling. _I l-love you so much!_

Hinata was still giggling when Naruto turned the water off and returned, wearing a large white shirt and...

Hinata blushed furiously and turned away from the door, fighting another wave of giggles.

Naruto was wearing a pair of blue boxers decorated with little green frogs wearing Christmas hats. Why he had it, Hinata had no idea-all she knew was that she shouldn't be staring at him, but the frogs on his boxers were so outrageous that she was shaking from contained laughter.

"Hey, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, walking over to her. "Are you okay? You look like you're in pain..." He said as he looked at a shaking, curled up ball on the bed.

Hinata took several minutes to compose herself, then turned to face him, taking care not to look at his boxers lest she have another giggling fit.

"I-I'm fine, N-Naruto-kun," she said, smiling at him. He seemed reassured by this, and nodded before walking over to his tatami-mat and falling down on it, sighing.

Hinata still felt bad about that, him having to sleep on the floor while she slept in a bed. She had offered to trade places for a night, but Naruto had refused, and Hinata knew from years of observing him that once Naruto had made his mind up, not a thing in the world would change his mind.

"You can shower now, Hinata-Chan," his voice said from the floor. "I mean, Sorami might be showering, I dunno, I can't exactly go and see, cuz, well, y'know, but, ah, anyway, you can shower, if you want..." Naruto trailed off lamely, feeling like an idiot. What was that, anyway? He usually never bumbled on like that, not sure what to say, embarrassed.

Then he remembered the feeling of Hinata right against him, the feeling of flying through the air, her-Naruto blushed and slapped his hands against his cheeks. _Stop it! _He commanded to his brain. _I'm __**not**__ a pervert!_

Still, for some reason, Naruto felt something in him longing for that feeling again, for that feeling of Hinata so close to him, the smell of her hair so sweet in his face, her soft arms wrapped around him in a hug...

_I just want to hug her again... _said a small voice in the back of his head. Naruto shook it off.

Hinata was getting ready to shower now, and Naruto sat up and watched her as she crossed the room to the closet and grabbed her clothes. When she went to the nightstand, he turned away, not wanting to invade her privacy as she grabbed other articles of clothing. He heard the door close and he looked up to see the deserted room.

Naruto sighed and fell back against his tatami mat, hoping he'd be able to hear Hinata's singing again. When her voice slowly wafted into the room, he smiled, and fell asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hinata stepped out of the shower and sighed, hair dripping as she wrapped it in a towel. She froze as she heard footsteps in the kitchen.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and scanned for intruders. She sighed in relief as she saw that it was only Sorami retrieving some grapes from the kitchen.

Hinata allowed her vision to return to normal and tentatively walked to the kitchen. She peered through the doorway and saw that Sorami was now sitting in a chair at the table, munching furiously on her grapes as she glared at the papers before her.

Hinata must have made some sort of noise, for Sorami's eyes shot up and immediately found the girl standing in the shadows.

Sorami smiled and beckoned Hinata into the room. "I'm sorry about tonight," Sorami said. "Luck just wasn't on your side today, or else those creeps wouldn't have been fighting."

"Ah, i-it's not y-y-your fault, S-Sorami-San," the girl muttered. Hinata had put a lot of thought into what she would say next.

While she was in the shower, Hinata had racked her brain configure out a way to cheer Sorami up. And she had devised a plan to do so.

"S-Sorami-San, y-y-you mentioned something th-that I f-f-forgot about u-u-until just now," the girl said.

Sorami put down her pen and frowned slightly. "What did I say?" she asked.

"Y-y-you said that..." Hinata's voice wavered as she realized that the question might be a little personal. But in the shower she had already figured out that it would probably end up making Sorami instantly happy. And that, even though it was a bit personal, as Sorami's partner, she had a right to know.

That, however, didn't make saying it any easier. Years of Hyuuga teachings and decorum had taught Hinata to avoid such personal questions, so it took a bit more mustering of courage before Hinata completed her sentence.

"Y-you said that you h-h-had a d-d-date today?"

Sorami's eyebrows rose. Then she laughed. "Oh, that," she said as she waved her hand. "I thought I had told you guys." When Hinata shook her head, Sorami's smile faxed a bit.

"Oh. That's bad... I hafta put down that I forgot to inform you guys..." Sorami muttered as she rifled through the papers on the table and scribbled something down.

Hinata swallowed. This wasn't how she had thought Sorami would react. Hinata had assumed that the date had been a romantic date, and hadn't even considered the possibility that it mightn't have been. And with that reasoning, she had assumed Sorami would be happy to deliver the details of her date to another woman, since it was hard to come by female company in this village. But judging from Sorami's reaction, she seemed to be a bit irritated now.

"I'm s-s-sorry," Hinata began, her ears turning red. "I-I shouldn't have asked-"

"No, it's a good thing you did," Sorami said as she finished writing. "We need to convene and talk about the minute details of this mission. If I missed that small detail, who knows what other details I missed and didn't tell you."

"N-Naruto-kun is asleep..." Hinata told her. When she had activated her Byakugan earlier, she had caught a glimpse of the boy sound asleep upstairs.

Sorami sighed. She couldn't exactly be angry at Naruto-they had just been involved in a clan fight that they hadn't expected, and she knew that had probably put him under a lot of stress.

"Well, do you mind telling him in the morning, then?" Sorami asked. When Hinata replied that she didn't mind, Sorami continued.

"The date that I mentioned was a date involving one of our suspect's close friends, Matsuda Oozora. He's not a spy-he was born here and he doesn't have anything suspicious about him Anyway, when he asked me to dinner, I figured I might be able to get some info from him about Akira. Akira's really slippery. I tried trailing him the other day and he ended up doubling back on me. I managed to cover it by buying more grapes, but..."

Hinata's mind quickly put two-and-two together. "He suspects you."

Sorami made a face. "The first day I saw him, I... Well, that's the main reason she sent you all here as backup," she explained. She had stopped eating grapes, but the expression on her face made it appear as though she had just swallowed a particularly sour one.

"He looks like someone I met once." Her icy tone made Hinata shiver. Sorami's tone had suggested that she the encounter she spoke of was not a happy one.

"Ah, S-Sorami-San, y-y-you don't need t-"

Sorami cut her off, and finally fixed her eyes upon the girl. "No, you need to know. You and he both need to know," she said, her eyes glancing to the roof as she spoke Naruto's name. Sorami took a deep breath. "Akira looks like the man who killed my parents, and tried to kidnap me."

Hinata's eyebrows shot into the air as her eyes widened, and her lips formed a small 'oh!' of surprise.

"You both know I have a blood limit." When the stunned Hinata nodded, Sorami's eyes turned yellow for a moment before fading. "It's not as useful as yours or the Sharingan. But it's useful in covert operations-useful enough to attract unwanted attention."

Hinata could tell that Sorami was having some trouble telling her this. Sorami was getting that same look she had worn earlier, and Hinata knew that the reason for Sorami's earlier tears had been what she was about to tell Hinata now.

"When I was on a mission, this man and some followers attacked my squad. We had only been genin for a year, and hadn't taken the Chunin exams yet, and these guys had seemed like trained assassins. They probably were," Sorami added. "It was after the war, and Konoha was still recovering from the havoc the Kyuubi had caused... It was a perfect time to make some money by selling kekkeigenkai."

Sorami sighed and steeled herself. She had already cried, so there was no need for any of that now. And it felt good to finally be telling someone this, someone who wasn't just concerned about the ninja Sorami, but who cared about the person-Sorami.

"We had this bright idea that we could handle them on our own," Sorami said, a rueful smile on her face. "Our Sensei was recovering from the Kyuubi's attack, so she wasn't at full power. We thought that we would let her rest, that we could take care of the thugs who were following us. So we told Sensei that we were taking a break to use the restroom, and we went after them."

Hinata's hands were curled into tight balls in her lap. She had heard many stories like this, and she knew how this one would end. But it was different this time. Hinata could see the raw emotion playing across Sorami's face, even though the woman tried to conceal her thoughts. That pain was something that broke Hinata's heart.

"They were after me, not my teammates. So they... They killed them. And when Sensei caught up to us, they killed her, too, though she took down most of them before her injured arm provided an opening..."

Sorami had tears in her eyes, and wiped them away furiously. "Sorry. It's hard to talk about this.

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It was dark outside, but that didn't matter-in fact, that made things much, _much_easier. For, it was not something the kunoichi wanted to be seen doing, dressed as she was, running around Konoha at a full sprint with the boy next to her.

In fact, Sakura Haruno was glad of the darkness that early morning offered, because it meant that she would be spared the embarrassment of being seen wearing this _hideous _thing!

Running beside her, however, Lee thought that Sakura looked like a splendid ninja indeed-every feature of the girl was magnified twofold, bringing out the beauty and youth of the girl beside him, and Lee smiled at the green-clad kunoichi. She really was pretty, and the passionate fires of youth burning in her green eyes were brought out by the jumpsuit she wore as they ran their five-hundredth lap around the village.

Sakura had improved tremendously since the day he had given the girl her first weights. So drastic was her improvement that Lee had added two more weights on each leg since then, and judging by the speed at which they were traveling today, he would probably be adding another pair on later this week.

The impeccable chakra control that Sakura had allowed her to pour just the right amount of chakra into her muscles for optimal output when training. And, as chakra reserves grew with the strength of the body, Sakura's chakra capacity had nearly doubled since she had begun her training with Lee.

Not that it made her work any easier-in fact, Sakura was sure that Lee was pushing her to her limits on purpose, adding new task after new task each day that made her muscles ache and her heart thud furiously after hours of workout.

And then, she had her hospital rounds, and her training under Tsunade-sama. Which of course meant that she needed to keep plenty of chakra in reserve while training, which in turn caused the training to be even harder on her body. Which made it painful to do her rounds, and eager to avoid mistakes while concocting antidotes under Tsunade, lest her body suffer even more pain from one of her Sensei's furious punches.

Needless to say, Sakura was exhausted. But her resolve was fixed, never to waver, and when at night her muscles burned from exertion and her head ached from memorizing new antidotes and theorems and calculations, Sakura would murmur to herself two words that would ease her pains, and steady her resolve once more.

"Sasuke-kun... Naruto-kun..."

It was these names that Sakura was repeating to herself as she and Lee pounded down the trail surrounding Konoha, even though every fiber of her being screamed out for her to rip the green jumpsuit off and never train with Caterpillar-Brows again.

She giggled. Caterpillar-brows. _Better not say that aloud or Lee will kill me_, she thought as Lee raised one of his large eyebrows at her, wondering what was so funny.

Sakura smiled at him, thinking that he looked much more like a cute, cuddly monkey than a caterpillar.

Her eyebrows furrowed together. What was she thinking?

Then pain jolted her back to reality and Sakura gasped as her leg gave and she fell to the ground.

Lee immediately noticed and stopped, crouching down next to her as she panted and stared ahead, pale face drawn.

"Sakura-Chan, what-"

"Ankle," she muttered and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she adjusted her leg before her, and with pursed lips she reached out.

Blue chakra emanated from her hands and after a few seconds, she sighed and let the energy fade.

Lee frowned and stood, eyes never leaving the girl before him.

Sakura opened her eyes and, seeing Lee's concern, smiled sheepishly at him. "Sorry, Lee-kun. I guess I'm a little more tired than I thought I was," she said, shifting position to stand.

Lee reached his hand out and helped her to to her feet. "No, Sakura-Chan, the fault is mine," Lee said solemnly once the kunoichi had gained her footing. "I was pushing you too hard-everyone needs rest, and you need rest to replenish your chakra for healing, an-"

"Lee-kun, it's fine, really. I'm fine," she told him, smiling to prove her point. "It used to be hard, but I'm used to it."

Lee sighed. "I'm so-"

"Lee-kun, stop it!" Sakura said, exasperated. "It's not your fault, and it was only my ankle!"

"But it-"

"Lee, so help me or I'll... Getting hurt is a part of training, Lee! You know that better than anyone..." Sakura said, hoping the boy would stop feeling guilty over something as trivial as her ankle.

Lee smiled ruefully. "You're right, Sakura-chan. Broken bones and bruises and twisted ankles are all just a part of training! It makes you more youthful to have overcome such hurdles! All right, Sakura-chan, let's keep going!"

And so, with a grin on his face, Lee started sprinting again with a renewed vigor.

Sakura held back a moan. _That's not the same pace we were going earlier!_She thought as she raced after him, though a wry smile appeared on her face as she watched Lee and his new enthusiasm tearing down the path.

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**Author's Comments: **As usual, sorry about the lack of updates and the gaping canyon of time it takes for me to do so. I've really no excuse this time. But you all know how life works.

This time, I can't really promise that I'll update soon. Just know that the story isn't dead. I will update, whenever I have time. The only reason I have time now is because I'm sick. I should be sleeping, but I felt guilty. I've had this chapter written for a long time, but I only just got around to posting it. Sorry, guys.

Also, thank you to the reviewers! And I'm pleased to see that lots of people are interested in the story! Thank you all! And again, sorry for the lack of updates.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Well, it's been a little over a year since I started reading fanfiction again, and I'm so glad I resumed reading these stories! They all hold a special place in my heart and inspire me to become an even better writer! I hope you have all seen this growth in my story, and I hope you are all satisfied with this chapter! Things will start picking up from here on out, so there won't be much time for NaruHina development as in previous chapters! But that means more suspense, and in the next few chapters, expect some actual fighting and a bit more spy-action going on!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything like that. Definitely not. If I did, things would be way, way different, and I wouldn't be writing fanfiction to appease my NaruHina needs.**

**Night**

~Chapter X~

Hinata sighed as she finished her breakfast. Sorami was going to have another meeting about the mission, so she and Naruto had woken up earlier than usual in order to get to work on time.

It had been several days since their talk about Sorami's past, but it had left a lot more questions with the girl than answers.

Sorami had a bloodline, of that there was no doubt. What exactly her 'Golden Eyes' did, however, was something Sorami had neglected to mention. It had to be useful on missions, and it had to he well-known enough for people to covet it, or else there wouldn't have been an attempted kidnapping on Sorami.

Being heir to the Hyuuga clan, Hinata had been expected to memorize all the clans of her village, past or present. Hinata had an extensive knowledge of the clans of her village, ranging from the Akimichi clan to her very own clan. There was scarcely a clan she didn't know of. That being the case, there were also few kekkeigenkai that the girl didn't know of, as long as such kekkeigenkai existed within Konoha.

These 'Golden Eyes' that Sorami possessed, however, were kekkeigenkai that Hinata had never heard of. Hinata had been schooled by her very own father on the subject of ocular kekkeigenkai, and had learned the history of the deceased Rinnegan, of the barely-surviving Sharingan, and of her own thriving Byakugan.

That left Hinata with only two conclusions to draw: either there was a clan with ocular power residing in the village that her father didn't know of, or Sorami's kekkeigenkai had originated from a different village. The former seemed highly improbable to Hinata; all the clans in the village were represented on the village council-even the Nara's, who would rather not be wrapped up in the politics of the village, attended the monthly meetings. The latter, however, raised even more questions. If Sorami's bloodline was from another village, then was Sorami also from another village? If so, which one?

Hinata sighed again. These were questions that had been running around her head for the past few days, but she hadn't asked any of them. Perhaps today she would...

Naruto slammed the refrigerator shut. "Aaaaah! Sorami-San doesn't have anything besides grapes to eat!" he cried as he plopped down beside Hinata at the table and splayed his arms across it.

"If you actually _looked_, Naruto-_chan_, you'd see that there is stuff _behind_ the grapes," a voice said.

Sorami walked to the fridge and opened it wide, grabbed the bag of grapes and made a huge gesture that seemed to say 'look, there it is, I told you so'.

"S-S-Sorami-San..." Hinata said, and then pointed.

Sorami actually looked in the fridge this time and, to her surprise, found that it was indeed empty. A small 'oh' was all that escaped her mouth.

Naruto cracked up. "You need to go shopping, Sorami-San!" he laughed. Even Hinata was giggling a bit.

Sorami glared at him and, quick as a flash, had opened the bag of grapes and plucked a handful. Before Naruto had time to stop laughing, Sorami had thrown five grapes at Hinata, and the remainder at Naruto.

The former's reaction sorely disappointed the woman; Hinata only managed to catch three of the grapes, the other ones hitting her on her shoulder and stomach.

Naruto's reaction, on the other hand, downright scared Sorami. Granted, he hadn't been given much time to recover from his laughter, but even a genin fresh from the academy would have at least dodged half of the grapes.

Naruto hadn't even managed that, and was paying for it as he choked on a grape that had soared into his open mouth. Hinata hurriedly began thumping him on the back, blushing furiously, and the grape shot out of his mouth like a torpedo after several furious coughs.

Sorami watched the grape as it arced through the air and landed on the ground, bouncing until it rolled to a stop.

"What the hell..." she murmured as she looked back at the two; Naruto was wheezing, rubbing his throat, while Hinata patted him gently on the back.

"What was that for?" asked Naruto, glaring at Sorami.

Sorami frowned. "You two need to constantly be on alert," she said. "If those grapes had been kunai or shuriken, Naruto, Hinata-chan would be severely- if not fatally- wounded, and _you_ would be dead! You can't be like this! What if I had been Orochimaru's agent, and I had disguised myself in order to kill you? You can't ever let your guard down in a village like this!" Her voice had risen to a yell, and she was panting by the time she finished. She could feel the startled eyes of the two before her. After several gulps of air, she sat down and closed her eyes, trying to regain composure.

"Sorry," she said. "But you really do need to keep your guards up. I can't lose you two. I just... Can't."

Hinata's hand reached out to touch the trembling hand of Sorami. Before the girl knew what she was doing, she felt her mouth forming words, words that surprised the girl, seeming too courageous for her to speak. "We won't let that happen, Sorami-San. We'll train and from now on, we won't let our guards down. Naruto-kun and I won't fail this mission. I swear. And I never go back on my word."

Naruto felt a smile appear on his lips. He had never seen Hinata this determined before, and he saw that determination transform the girl into a strong woman. And he liked that. She needed some more self-confidence. And it made Naruto proud that their shared nindo was what gave her that strength.

"Yeah. I promise, too," Naruto said, walking towards Hinata and standing next to her. "And neither of us goes back on our words. Cuz that's our shinobi way."

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Sorami closed the door behind her and performed her standard jutsu that would alert her to any attempted break-ins. In a town like this, one could never have too much security. Had Sorami the time, she would have set up a much more elaborate jutsu that would probably involve a genjutsu and several capturing jutsu, tracking jutsu, and perhaps even some exploding kunai. But, as it was, Sorami needed to maintain her cover, and that meant that she only had time to set up a few barriers and a simple alerting-jutsu.

Once that was completed, Sorami walked in the direction of her work. It was a simple business, but it required much more energy than Naruto's and Hinata's jobs at the bakery. After all, not only was she lifting heavy materials such as wood and stone all say, but there was also the fact that she worked alongside a possible suspect who just happened to look exactly like the man who had kidnapped her and murdered her teammates. Though Sorami knew that Naruto and Hinata certainly had a difficult job. Hers was simply more taxing than theirs.

Sorami yawned when she was two blocks away from her work. Though she would have loved to hop along rooftops in order to reach her destination that much faster, her cover required her to refrain from such activity. After all, a normal civilian wasn't able to do that.

Of course, Sorami was fairly certain that Akira knew she was no normal citizen. After all, she _had_ reacted to his appearance rather abnormally. And two ninja-rogue ninja from Suna, no less-were staying with her. If that didn't make her suspicious, nothing did. And it was for these reasons that Sorami had several fatigue lines across her face as she entered the building where she worked.

_I need to find out more about Akira. He knows too much about us, and we know so little about him..._ Sorami thought. Though Naruto and Hinata had not settled in as inconspicuously as Sorami had wanted, it was time to up the surveillance. They _were_ on a mission, after all, and they had only a total of six months to complete it. And quite a bit of time had been allotted to the settling in of those two. It was enough time lost. _Time to get to work._

Sorami wandered towards the back entrance, where a wagon was already being loaded up with building materials; or, in this case, _rebuilding_ materials. It was this company that mended most of the town, and provided most construction. Still, most of the work the employees found themselves doing was reconstruction, fixing whatever had been broken during the clan fights.

Sorami began to help loading the wagon, picking up a few bags and a bucket of paint. Her eyes roamed the faces of the workers around her, scanning for one face in particular...

After she deposited her load, Sorami had become very worried. _He's not here,_ she thought. _Where could he be?_.

A tap on her shoulder caused her to jump, and she quickly turned around, only to be met with a cold stare as ice-blue eyes locked onto her own eyes.

"Sorami-San," said the man. His gaze suddenly turned brighter, though Sorami was barely able to repress a shudder. "I was hoping to catch you before we left for the first job..."

Sorami smiled-she forced herself to keep up her cover. "Really? I'm sorry I was later than usual-my nephew didn't clean up after breakfast, so I had to hurry and put up the dishes. Luckily, his girlfriend is much more responsible, so I managed to get here with a few minutes to spare. Would you like to talk now, or should it wait till another time?" she asked, inwardly cringing. She had been late because of the lecture she gave to the kids about not being able to dodge grapes, and has forgotten to prepare an alibi. _That was the best you could come up with?_ she cried to herself. _Dishes?_

The man nodded. He seemed to readily accept her excuse, though Sorami knew that behind those piercing blue eyes, he could have been tearing her excuse apart for holes. "I think... We should talk about it now," he said. "But I think it needs to be a bit more private." With that, he turned on his heels and walked out of earshot of the wagon, stopping beneath the shadow of the building.

Sorami followed, though alarms were clanging in her head. She stopped in front of him, making sure she was in plain sight of the wagon, out of the building's shadow. She trusted this man to not harm her about as much as she trusted Tsunade-sama to stop gambling.

"Yes?" she asked.

The man seemed to be thinking about his words. With his face hidden in the shadow, the emotions flickering across his face were blurred, and though Sorami saw pained expressions flash across his features, they were hidden enough so that she couldn't discern whether they were heartfelt or not.

"I... I'm not sure how to tell you this... I still haven't really... I still don't know if I believe it yet..." he said, crossing his arms. He looked for all the world like a man who was suffering greatly. "I only found out this morning, and only because I happened to be walking behind the cleaning corps..."

Sorami suddenly felt like a pile of lead had been dropped on her stomach. The cleaning corps were always combing the streets to pick up the bodies of the dead. But the only reason he would be telling her this...

The man took a deep breath. "I know he was close to you. So that's why I'm telling you... Because the corps never identify the bodies. So... So..."

Sorami swallowed, growing a sickly color. _No,_ she thought. _No, no! He was my only lead, he was the only source of information I had on-_

Akira finally met her eyes again, his cold gaze suddenly abandoning all the emotions he had expressed just seconds before. They were calculating eyes, not the eyes of a distraught man-the eyes of a killer, of a ninja.

"Matsuda Oozora is dead."

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Naruto frowned. "But, Mr Hayate, you can't leave! How are we supposed to make all the bread without your help?" he asked. Though it may have sounded like the boy was trying to flatter the baker, it wasn't so. Naruto was merely asking how in the world he and Hinata, the pair of whom could barely bake a loaf of bread without burning it, were supposed to run the bakery without the help of the master-baker.

In truth, Hinata knew that she actually _could_ bake a loaf of bread without burning it; she had, however, been making sure that Naruto never burnt the bakery down (he has come close on several occasions, though.) Thus, while Naruto was worried about how the pair would prevent the bread from burning, Hinata was worried about how she would prevent the entire bakery from burning.

However, both of them were also aware of the fact that Mr. Hayate's absence from work the following week meant only one thing: he would be taking one of his monthly excursions outside the village. And both ninja had a feeling that, this time, he would have a quiet companion or two, maybe even three, trailing silently through the shadows behind him.

Mr Hayate smiled. "Oh, don't worry, Haruto-kun. I have plenty of work for you and Miyako-chan. You two will be baking enough bread for the week. Besides, there won't be many customers," he said.

Hinata blinked. "W-why won't th-th-there be many customers, s-s-sir?" she asked curiously. After all, though the store rarely became crowded, there was a steady flow of customers arriving and leaving throughout the day.

Mr. Hayate frowned, his face darkening. "That's right. You're new here, so you wouldn't know... Your aunt might not know, either," he said.

At this, both Naruto and Hinata were listening, and listening intently. Whether or not the man was lying was uncertain, but if what he was saying was indeed truth, then there was something happening next week that Sorami didn't know about-and that could prove fatal.

"Next week is the Clan Gathering," he said, something slipping into his voice that made his words sound like venom. Hinata had heard hatred such as this before, though it had come from a very different mouth, and had been directed at her and the Main Branch. Her cousin Neji had hated her for a long time, and so Hinata immediately recognized the emotion that had crept into Mr. Hayate's voice.

From the narrowing of Naruto's eyes, Hinata knew that he too had recognized the hatred in the older baker's voice. _Of course he would have_, she mentally chided herself. She had seen the glances of the villagers around her, heard the dark mutterings of her fellow citizens as they passed the boy. She knew that Naruto-kun was no stranger to hate. She mentally kicked herself for not having the courage to stand up for him, for still lacking the courage to stand with him when he felt that gaze from villagers...

"Ahh, and, umm... What happens at a Clan Gathering?" Naruto asked.

Hinata's eyebrows raised._ Oh,_ she thought, mentally kicking herself again. _Naruto-kun w-wouldn't know about th-the workings of c-c-clans_. Hinata opened her mouth to explain.

It was a good thing that Mr. Hayate beat her to it-after all, she was simply a rogue ninja from Suna. Had she displayed her knowledge of the inner workings of clans, she would have blown her cover- normal ninja did not know quite so much about Clan Gatherings as she did.

"It's where the Amaya and Jinrai slaughter eachother officially and publicly, calling it a Demonstration," the baker spat.

Okay, so maybe Clan Gatherings in this village were a bit different than the ones back in Konoha. Hinata had never been to a Gathering where any clan member had died, much less been slaughtered. Demonstrations in Konoha were simply that-clans would elect various up-and-coming ninja to represent them, and these ninja would demonstrate their skills. It wasn't anything bloody at all-the young ninja didn't even fight each other when they demonstrated their skills!

"W-what?" Naruto cried.

Mr. Hayate shook his head and regained a bit of composure, though when he spoke, his voice still trembled slightly from suppressed rage. "Well, obviously they don't kill anyone while the Clan Gathering is in session. It's a formal matter-some kind of tradition among clans states that no one dies at a Clan Gathering. But it's essentially the same, because once the Gathering ends, the winners take the defeated participants and kill them." At this, the man lost his composure again, anger spilling into his words. "And no one, _not a single person_, tries to stop them!"

Hinata hadn't realized that she had a hand over her mouth until she had removed it. Clan Gatherings weren't meant to kill people-only to display the strength of the various Clans. _W-what is _**wrong**_ w-with this_ _village?_ she wondered in horror.

Naruto's brow was furrowed. "Wait, what?" he asked. "What do you mean, the winners? Is a Clan Gathering some kind of contest?"

Mr. Hayate stared at the boy, his eyes seeming to bore into the boy's skin. Naruto fidgeted under the gaze, and Hinata slid next to him, hoping her presence would make the boy less uncomfortable.

Finally, Mr. Hayate spoke. "You could put it that way," he mused. The man seemed to have finally calmed down, and he sat down in a chair behind the counter before continuing. "At a Clan Gathering, the Clans of a village come together and hold matches to showcase the young talent of the Clan. But the Clans here have warped it from a simple display of ability to a- to use your word, Haruto-contest that determines which Clan is stronger. And the losers of the contest are killed by the victors."

Hinat watched Naruto's expressions change, from curiosity to disgust to outright horror. She was sure that her own face has registered those very same emotions when she had realized the truth a few minutes before.

Naruto shook his head. "Man, and I thought Suna was bad..."

Hinata wasn't sure whether to be proud of the fact that Naruto had remembered their cover, but she decided that, while she was indeed proud of him, now was not the time to express it.

Mr Hayate suddenly grew thoughtful. "Say, you two are, err,_ retired_ ninja, right?" he asked.

Naruto and Hinata glanced at eachother. Neither was sure how to react. It was Hinata who responded first.

There was no sense in pretending he was wrong. After all, the man already knew that they were ninja, though how he knew of it she couldn't fathom to guess. At least the man had pretended to be oblivious to their supposed status as "rogue" ninja.

"Y-yes, s-s-sir," she said.

"What do you think of the Clans here?" he asked.

Hinata knew that they were treading dangerous territory, and that one false slip of the tongue could send their covers plummeting into th depths of oblivion. After all, this man _was_ one of the primary suspects for being one of Orochimaru's spies.

Unfortunately, she was not sure if Naruto knew this, because he was already answering.

"I think these Clans have issues. They don't care about leaving kids dead on the streets-they don't even bother to pick up the bodies and give them a proper burial-not even their own friends! The Clans in our village were never like that!" Naruto said.

Mr. Hayate nodded. "So, what you're saying is that it definitely needs to change, right?" he asked in guarded tones, though Hinata thought she saw a spark of enthusiasm in the baker's eyes.

"Yeah, definitely," Naruto nodded.

A grin broke over Mr. Hayate's face. "Well, then I wonder if I couldn't interest you two in joining me tomorrow outside the hot springs to... discuss this matter in greater detail."

Hinata gasped. There was no way she would have thought that such a thing was possible. Even as she nodded, she couldn't wrap her mind around it.

She watched in a daze as Naruto agrees hesitantly to the baker's offer, only having decided to agree after seeing Hinata's nod. Though it was obvious the boy didn't know what he was agreeing to, Hinata couldn't bring her mind to believe what she thought she had heard.

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When Mr. Hayate bid them goodnight, and the doors closed behind them, Hinata swerved to face Naruto, her hair flipping into her face and her eyes gleaming behind their contacts.

"H-H-Haruto-kun," she said in a voice only loud enough for him to hear. "D-do you kn-know what just _h-h-happened_?" she asked

Naruto scratched his head. Even though she knew only he could hear her, she was still using his alias. It bothered him, for some reason-he wanted her to say his _real_ name, bot his _fake _name. But the boy knew that she was right to use his alias, so he sighed and decided to use hers as well.

"No, Miyako-chan," he replied with the same volume. "I have absolutely no idea why we're meeting at the hot springs, or what he meant by 'discuss the matter'-"

Suddenly he felt a small form tackle him, and he staggered back several steps before regaining his balance. He was met with Hinata's face, her cheeks flushed and excitement lighting up her features as she hugged him.

"N-Naruto-kun," she said, beaming. Naruto would years later swear that beams of sunlight actually radiated from her, as happy as she was. "It means that there's a _rebellion_!"

~End Chapter X~

**Author's Comments: **All right! Another cliffy ending! Man, I sure am mean! I don't update for months and weeks, and then I post a chapter, and it's stuffed with good stuff, but it's short, AND I leave you guys with a cliffhanger! Oh, well. Blame it on my failure at consistency: by the way, I returned to writing after reading several fanfictions, and so my writing changed a bit, as I was influenced by them. I hope it's not too drastic a change!

I am constantly writing this story, and so I also see how much my writing has evolved. I write about 2-5 chapters ahead of what I post. I'm currently working on Chapter 12 (it's a pretty good one, you guys!) and even though it's only 2 chapters later, my writing has already improved by dramatic levels. I can't tell you how much it pleases me to see that my writing has evolved so much! Thank you all for your support!

I probably won't update for awhile again. I really suggest following this story if you want to read it to the end-my updates are much too sporadic for you to simply catch it on the front page of NaruHina fics one day.

Oh yea. I STILL NEED A BETA!


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